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Extreme jealousy is the most common risk factor for lethality in cases of domestic violence in Puerto Rico

Based on the findings of the Department of Justice Evaluation study and analyzed by the Institute for Statistics

December 17, 2025; San Juan, Puerto Rico - The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice presented the findings of the Danger Assessment analysis, a tool implemented by prosecutors in the criminal investigation process, to identify the levels of danger of femicide faced by victims of domestic violence in Puerto Rico

The study, which analyzed 2,149 cases between July and November 2024, provided relevant information that highlights the importance of continuing to strengthen prevention and protection strategies against domestic violence in Puerto Rico. Both this report and the previous pilot study agree in consistently pointing out the need to prioritize intervention in the most affected sectors, with the purpose of preventing new deaths and reducing the risk of fatality among victims. Among the data, the following stand out:

● Throughout Puerto Rico, the three most common risk factors for fatality identified were: Extreme jealousy manifested in a violent and constant way (49.8%), Having sons or daughters who are not the aggressor's (47.7%) and Having abandoned the relationship the previous year after living with him(39.0%).

● The injured parties have an average age of 36 years, with the group from 20 to 39 years old being the most represented (62.1% of cases). However, women up to the age of 83 were registered.

● 47.5% of domestic violence complaints (1,019 cases) resulted in charges being filed at the Puerto Rico level, a percentage that responds to multiple factors and that varies significantly between different judicial regions.

● One in four victims faced a level of danger from severe to extreme of being a victim of femicide.

o Women with severe or extreme dangerousness are almost 11 times more likely to have been used against them or threatened with a weapon, compared to those who are of varying or increasing danger.

o When evaluating the group of women with severe or extreme danger, it was found that the partner or former partner was jealous of them and showed it violently and constantly (83.5%). 76.6% fear that their partner or former partner is capable of killing them and that 72.8% of women felt that their partner or former partner controls most of their daily activities.

o The municipalities with the highest adjusted rates of victims, aged 15 or older and in severe or extreme danger, were Vieques, Florida and Culebra.

“Having reliable and up-to-date data is essential for the development of effective public policies. This study provides a solid basis for strengthening interagency coordination and focusing efforts on the prevention of lethal violence in Puerto Rico.” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

“Through the daily work carried out by our prosecutors, the Department of Justice is collecting valuable data, which are not only essential for the development of security strategies within our functions, but must also be shared with the entities that provide services to victims and the entire security component, in order to strengthen prevention and improve the care they receive. This initiative reflects our commitment to remain proactive in protecting and supporting all victims of domestic violence,” added Justice Secretary Lourdes L. Gómez Torres.

For her part, Dr. Idania R. Rodríguez, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Statistics and lead author of the study, noted that “Beyond statistics, this report seeks to make visible the real danger faced by many women in Puerto Rico. Each finding represents an opportunity to act with greater urgency and design effective and equitable interventions. Prioritizing municipalities and regions with the highest risk is essential to reduce lethal violence and strengthen the safety and protection of women on the island.”

To access the full report you can visit: Findings from the Risk Assessment Sheet

For more information you can visit the website www.estadisticas.pr.gov or the social media accounts of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable and have quick and universal access.

About the Puerto Rico Department of Justice

The Department of Justice has the mission of ensuring faithful compliance with the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and aspiring to the highest principles of equality and human dignity. It also represents the people of Puerto Rico in civil and criminal cases, and provides certainty to the legal trafficking of real estate on the island. It performs these functions with effectiveness, integrity, a sense of justice and the strongest commitment to public service. The Department of Justice is committed to doing justice to victims of violence and the current public policy is zero tolerance and repudiation of all acts of violence against women.

Statistics Institute Press Contacts:

Lourdesburgs/787-562-2932/ lburgos@upfrontpr.net

IDIA Martinez/787-603-3200/imartinez@upfrontpr.net

Department of Justice Press Contacts:

Astridmatos/787-590-7385/ astrid.matos@justicia.pr.gov

Kike O'Neill/787-394-9469/ kikeoneill.prensa@gmail.com

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Date: December 12, 2025

To create the National Health Account, in order to establish an accounting system for organizing, collecting and presenting information on the expenditure and financing of health systems in Puerto Rico; and to establish other complementary provisions.

Author: Alejandro López Flores and Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado

Date: November 6, 2025

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Poverty must be contextualized with social variables to understand and address it effectively. The Backwardness Index for Puerto Rico is an indicator composed of five variables that comprise two dimensions: Economic Mobility and Demography. This index seeks to measure poverty beyond income thresholds, and to incorporate elements of social backwardness and relative deprivation. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out on a set of variables to validate the construction of the multidimensional deprivation model, and to retain the variables that best captured the phenomenon of deprivation. Then, the retained variables were normalized using thresholds. The thresholds were obtained with data from the Puerto Rico Community Survey (ECPR or PRCS in English) and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS in English). The scores of the different variables were aggregated by dimension, using the arithmetic mean, and the scores resulting from the dimensions were aggregated using the geometric mean. The values of the index lie between 0 and 1 where, the higher the score, the worse the result of the phenomenon.42 municipalities showed a decrease in their index score between the periods compared. Of these 42 municipalities, 22 showed a decrease in their score greater than 5%. Likewise, there are concentrations of municipalities with high Lagging Index scores in the central-southwest and southeastern areas of Puerto Rico.

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San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 6, 2025 — The Institute of Statistics released the results of the Backwater Index for Puerto Rico, a study that offers a comprehensive look at the social and economic situation of Puerto Rico's municipalities. This index constitutes an analysis and planning tool that seeks to promote dialogue, reflection and informed action for the benefit of Puerto Rico's socioeconomic development.

El Lagging Index measures a multidimensional phenomenon using a summary data that allows us to compare the relative performance of municipalities in two dimensions: Economic Mobility and Demography. Five main variables were considered in its design: the percentage of people below the poverty level, the unemployment rate, the percentage of high school graduates (in a population aged 18 and over), the dependency rate by age and the median age.

The index was calculated for two comparative periods: 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, allowing us to observe changes in scores and relative positions of municipalities over time. Index values fluctuate between 0 and 1, with a higher score representing a higher relative level of lagging.

The analysis reveals that 42 municipalities showed a decrease in their score of the Lagging Index, which suggests a relative improvement in the conditions measured by the indicator. Of these, 22 municipalities registered a reduction of more than 5%. In the same way, there are concentrations of municipalities with higher scores —indicating greater relative lagging— in the center, south, southwest and southeast regions of Puerto Rico, while several municipalities in the metropolitan area and adjacent to it showed progress compared to the rest of the archipelago.

The municipalities of Culebra, Toa Alta, Gurabo, Juncos, Dorado, Trujillo Alto, Santa Isabel, Canóvanas, Toa Baja and Las Piedras performed better in their relative index in the last period analyzed (2019-2023). However, the Institute stresses that the index is a relative measure and not an absolute measure, so the results must be analyzed within the context and used as a basis for the development of more specific analyses.

“The value of the index is not in pointing out which municipality is better or worse, but in providing an objective basis for analysis, planning and decision-making. It is an opportunity for mayors and officials who participate in decision-making to know their social and economic reality and to develop strategies that respond to the specific needs of their municipalities,” said Dr. Ronald Hernández, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico.

For the elaboration of the Lagging Index, the Institute applied rigorous statistical methods —including exploratory factor analysis, normalization and aggregation of variables—using data from the five-year estimates of the Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau And the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data

Table 1 shows the results of the Lagging Index at the municipal level for the periods 2014 - 2018 and 2019 - 2023. The table is ordered according to the position of the municipalities based on their index value for the period 2019 — 2023. The higher the index score, the worse or less favorable the outcome of the phenomenon.

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Table 1: Lagging Index Results

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According to Dr. Hernández, the results of the study highlight the need to design comprehensive public policies that address both the economic aspects and the demographic transformations of Puerto Rico. “The improvements seen in several municipalities are encouraging, but it is essential that socio-economic development efforts are integrated with strategies to respond to the ongoing demographic transition. This includes strengthening geriatric health services, care policies, retention of young people and urban planning adapted to long-lived communities,” said the Institute.”

Hernández indicated that, the Municipal Backwater Index seeks to promote an evidence-based dialogue between the different sectors of Puerto Rico. Its purpose is to serve as a planning and evaluation instrument, which facilitates the identification of areas of opportunity and guides investment decisions, municipal planning and public policy at the central and local levels.”

The full report of the Municipal Backwater Index is available in: Backwater Index for Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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To amend Article 3 of Law 209-2003, as amended, known as the “Puerto Rico Statistics Institute Act” to provide that the Office of the Comptroller extends the term of audits of the accounts and operations of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute to three (3) years; and for other related purposes.