On World Hearing Day, we remember the importance of having information that makes visible the realities of the deaf community in Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics has the results of the Deaf Community Needs Study, a tool that documents experiences related to access to services, communication, barriers and situations of discrimination.

The availability of this data supports analysis, conversations and informed decisions around accessibility and inclusion. The study is available for consultation on the Institute's official website at: https://www.estadisticas.pr.gov/productos/resultados-necesidades-comunidad-sorda.

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Puerto Rico's Trade Balance Surplus Increases by 30%

Exports increased by 3.6% compared to the previous calendar year, and

Imports increased by 0.8% compared to the previous calendar year

San Juan, Puerto Rico — March 3, 2026. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute published external trade data for the month of December 2025, allowing for an analysis of performance in terms of international trade for the calendar year 2025, which covers January through December 2025. Annual exports totaled $62,435,255,371, representing an increase of 3.55% compared to the previous calendar year, while annual imports totaled $55,033,443,743, representing an increase of 0.79% compared to the same previous period. In the calendar year, a trade balance surplus of $7,401,811,628 was recorded, reflecting an increase of 30.02% compared to the $5,692,730,055 recorded in 2024.

Dr. Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado, Statistical Project Manager at the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, explained that the trade balance is the indicator that measures the difference between the value of exports and that of imports of goods in a jurisdiction. A surplus occurs when exports exceed imports; a deficit is when the opposite happens. This indicator constitutes one of the main measures of international trade,as it reflects both productive capacity and the level of dependence on foreign goods. In general terms, productive capacity refers to what Puerto Rico is able to produce and sell (as reflected in exports), and the level of dependence refers to what Puerto Rico needs to purchase from abroad (as reflected in imports).

For more information, see the attached annex.

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To establish the “Act to Declare a State of Emergency for Child Violence in Puerto Rico”, for the purpose of declaring a state of emergency for child violence, in accordance with the provisions and terms established by this Act; and for other related purposes.

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The Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS), part of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, presents its compendium of bulletins with preliminary data for the year 2025. This update includes the analysis of the fourth quarter (October to December) and a consolidated annual summary, presenting an overview of trends in fatal violence in the archipelago over the past year.

2025 Annual Summary

According to preliminary data, 2025 closed with a total of 732 violent deaths. Fatal violence occurs almost daily in the archipelago; in fact, violent deaths were recorded on 83% of the days of the year. With an average of 61 deaths per month, the months with the highest incidence of fatal violence were observed in January (74), June (77) and August (71).

The annual distribution of these cases is broken down as follows:

• Homicides: 471 cases (64.3%)

• Suicides: 204 cases (27.9%)

• Other circumstances: 57 cases (7.8%)

Year-End Findings (Q4)

The release of the fourth quarter data reflects important findings:

• Demographic Profile: In homicides, 93% of the victims were men, with the population aged 20 to 39 being the most affected. As for suicides, 55.6% occurred in people aged 40 to 59, showing an increase compared to previous quarters.

• Geography of Violence: The police areas of San Juan (10.2), Caguas (8.4) and Guayama (7.9) had the highest rates of violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants during this period.

• Common Factor: The firearm remained the main instrument, used in 92% of the homicides reported in the quarter.

Evidence for Prevention

Since the launch of the PRVDRS digital tools, it has been emphasized that understanding data is an essential step to address in an informed manner one of the most complex challenges facing Puerto Rico. The system continues to link information from the Puerto Rico Police, the Institute of Forensic Sciences and the Demographic Registry to provide a holistic view that guides the formulation of evidence-based public policy.

Public Access

We invite citizens and health and safety professionals to explore the annual newsletter and quarterly reports through our interactive news magazine:

• Digital Magazine: Newsletters: Preliminary Data 2025

• Official Portal: Violent Death Notification System

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Francisco J. Pesante Gonzalez *

Coordinator of the Academies and Workshops Program,

Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

In an environment where public and private decisions increasingly rely on the rigorous analysis of information, the development of statistical capabilities is no longer a technical luxury, but a strategic need. Governments, companies, non-profit organizations and academic centers face the daily challenge of transforming large volumes of data into useful knowledge for planning, evaluating policies, identifying opportunities and anticipating risks.

Faced with this reality, the Academies and Workshops Program of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute) offers a structured response to contemporary needs in the field of data and statistics. More than isolated courses, the Institute's academic offering responds to a comprehensive curricular vision that recognizes statistical work as a continuous process that connects multiple tools, methodologies and platforms.

Statistical analysis as an integrated process

Modern statistical work begins long before analysis and continues long after producing a table or graph. It includes obtaining data, its organization, cleaning, analysis, visualization and effective communication of results. The curricular structure of the Academy Program of the Institute reflects precisely that logic: each workshop represents a piece within a chain of production of statistical knowledge.

For example, the management of census data — essential for government planning, economic development and social research — is strengthened by tools such as those offered by the Puerto Rico Community Survey and their products containing demographic and socio-economic data of the population, as well as data on household characteristics. This powerful tool not only allows access to tabulated data, but also allows the generation of thematic maps, allowing for socio-demographic analysis from a territorial perspective.

In the same way, the development of skills in Excel constitutes an essential gateway for many professionals. From this starting point, the participant can move towards business intelligence tools such as Tableau And Power BI, where data is transformed into dynamic visualizations that facilitate decision-making in public and private organizations.

R and RStudio: The Contemporary Analytical Core

One of the main axes of the program is the ecosystem of R and its integrated development environment (IDE) RStudio, one of the most used international platforms for reproducible statistical analysis. The curricular approach allows the participant to evolve from basic concepts to specialized applications.

Starting from R basic And the use of RStudio As a work environment, the workshops move towards key areas of modern analysis:

·  R Markdown: promotes reproducibility and transparency by integrating code, analysis and narrative into a single document.

·  Tidycensus: facilitates automated access to official census data.

·  Geographic Information System (GIS) with R: integrates statistical analysis with the geographical dimension, essential for territorial planning and regional analysis.

·  Webscraping: allows you to collect data from open digital sources.

·  Categorical data analysis And ggplot2: fundamental tools for exploring patterns in qualitative data and communicating results, both qualitative and quantitative, through clear and rigorous visualizations.

This approach to Academies reflects a global trend: modern statisticians not only analyze data, but also automate processes, integrate diverse sources and communicate findings effectively.

Impact on the public and private sector

The relevance of these tools transcends the academic field. In the public sector, they strengthen institutional capacity to produce higher quality official statistics, evaluate public policies and design evidence-based interventions. In the private sector, they allow us to optimize processes, understand markets, analyze customer behavior and support strategic planning.

In addition, community and non-profit organizations find in these tools an opportunity to measure social impact and support proposals with solid quantitative evidence.

Learning statistics in the digital age

The Institute Academies Program adopt educational modalities aligned with new professional dynamics. The webinars provide interactive spaces to discuss emerging issues and analyses applied to the reality of Puerto Rico. On the other hand, asynchronous workshops make it possible to develop technical competencies in a flexible way, integrating practical exercises and progressive learning.

This semester's webinar offerings include the following topics:

·  Intimate Femicide Risk Map: Sociodemographic Patterns and Prevention Measures in Puerto Rico

· 2023-2024 Migrant Profile

·  Financial Statistics

This model expands access to statistical knowledge and fosters a community of practice where professionals from different sectors share a common language based on data.

Towards a Statistical Culture

Beyond teaching about statistical information resources or Softwares Statistics, the central purpose of Academies and Workshops Program is to promote a statistical culture. This involves encouraging analytical thinking, collaborative work and the ethical use of information. The quality of the statistics produced by a country is directly linked to the preparation of people who work with data.

In that sense, the Institute's integrated curriculum design not only trains individuals, but also contributes to strengthening Puerto Rico's statistical ecosystem. Each workshop represents a step in a training path that connects tools, methodologies and real applications, preparing professionals capable of facing the challenges of a society that is increasingly guided by evidence.

The result is clear: better technical capabilities lead to better statistics, and better statistics make it possible to make better decisions for the country's economic and social development.

Don't wait any longer and enroll in the Institute's offer of workshops and webinars!

* Created with chatgpt.com

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‍More than 4,300 Homicides and 1,600 Suicides Since 2017: Digital Platform Allows Exploration of Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico

From 2017 to 2023, Puerto Rico has recorded 4,304 homicides and 1,685 suicides.These figures reflect a complex phenomenon that impacts families, communities, and public safety and health throughout the archipelago.

With the goal of promoting a deeper and more accessible understanding of this reality, the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS) developed a digital platform that allows for a detailed and contextualized examination of the data.

“The public policy formulation process requires reliable data and rigorous analysis. This tool allows us to measure the magnitude of violent deaths in Puerto Rico and better understand the circumstances surrounding these incidents. Evidence-based decision-making is fundamental to effectively addressing this public health and safety issue,” expressed Planner Mario O. Font Martin, Statistical Projects Manager and Coordinator of the PRVDRS.

Data to Help Understand the Phenomenon

The PRVDRS integrates information from multiple official sources, including the Puerto Rico Police, the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and the Demographic Registry of the Department of Health. By combining these sources into an anonymized database, the system allows for the analysis of not only how many deaths occur but also the circumstances surrounding them.

From the start of data collection in 2017 through 2023, the system has documented:

• 4,304 homicides
• 1,685 suicides

This integration allows for the identification of patterns and trends that are not always visible in individual reports.

What Does the Digital Platform Offer?

The tool allows citizens to:

• Explore historical trends since 2017.
• Analyze data through interactive visualizations and maps.
• Examine the classification of violence (e.g., community or collective).
• Identify the type of weapon involved.
• Review circumstances associated with the incidents.

Currently, the platform presents official consolidated data through 2023, along with preliminary data from 2024 to 2026, which will be updated monthly.

A Nationally Integrated Effort

The PRVDRsis part of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The PRVDRS collects information documented by the Puerto Rico Police, the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and death certificates from the Department of Health's Demographic Registry into an anonymous database with over 600 variables. For more information on the NVDRS, you can access the following link: National Violent Death Reporting System.

This methodology allows for an understanding of not only the cause of death but also the circumstances and factors related to each case, facilitating comparisons with other U.S. jurisdictions.

Public Access

The platform is available through the official portal of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics: Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System (PRVDRS) interactive tool

Open access to this data strengthens transparency and fosters informed conversations regarding violence prevention and public policy. Understanding the data is an essential step toward addressing one of the most complex challenges facing Puerto Rico in an informed manner.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Institute is an autonomous government entity responsible for coordinating the production of government statistics to ensure that the data collection systems upon which public policies are based are complete, reliable, and provide rapid and universal access.

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