Updated data on femicide in Puerto Rico

Fifty-nine femicides were reported in Puerto Rico between 2021 and 2023

November 9, 2023. San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), updated the data on femicide in Puerto Rico, presented in the section entitled “Femicide Statistics”, through its Platform for Statistics and Indicators on Gender Violence (See: https://estadisticas.pr/en/Comite-Pare). According to Mariluz Bezares, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute and Coordinator of the Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System (PRVDRS), in 2023, six (6) of every 10 homicides of women were femicides (60%). Other highlights from this update include:

• In 2023, 87% of intimate femicides were with firearms (In 2021, 61% of intimate femicides were with firearms and in 2022, 77% of intimate femicides were with firearms).
• In 2023, 53% of intimate femicides occurred among women aged 25 to 44 (In 2021, 61% of intimate femicides occurred among women aged 25 to 44 and in 2022 54% were among women aged 45 to 64).
• Thirteen (13) is the total number of femicides between 2021 and 2023 where the aggressor committed suicide after killing the victim.
  • Of these, thirteen (13) were in the context of intimate femicide and one (1) was in the context of family femicide. From January to September 2023, five (5) were in the intimate context.
• As of September 2023, a total of nineteen (19) cases of femicide have been registered.
• In 2023, 55 violent deaths of women were recorded (In 2021, 67 violent deaths of women and one (1) death of a trans person were recorded, and in 2022 there were 84 violent deaths of women).
• In 2023, 52% of women's violent deaths were due to homicide, and 42% were due to suicide.
• In 2023, 50% of female homicides occurred among women between 25 and 44 years old.

The data collected and presented by the Institute arise in part as a result of collaboration with various entities, including the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, the Institute of Forensic Sciences and the Demographic Registry of the Department of Health.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is a governmental entity in the executive branch, with fiscal and administrative autonomy, whose main purpose is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics with quick and universal access. To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.