Puerto Rico's trade balance surplus increases 30%

Announcements
Ronald G. Hernández Maldonado
04 March 2026

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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The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is successfully complying with the “Protocol for Suicide Prevention”

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is successfully complying with the “Protocol for Suicide Prevention”

On January 12 of this year, the Commission for Suicide Prevention (Department of Health) certified that the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute met all the requirements regarding the creation and implementation of a “Protocol for Suicide Prevention” in the agency.

The Institute is part of the 52 agencies or entities of the Executive Branch (out of a total of 121) that complied with this protocol.

Data from the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico revealed

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Data from the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico revealed

54% of people do not leave their house at night as a security measure

In Puerto Rico, family is the most important aspect (94%), followed by work (70%), free time (66%) and religion (65%). These are some of the data reflected in the recent World Values Survey for Puerto Rico carried out by a team of professors and students from the University of the Sacred Heart, led by Dr. Javier Hernández, director of the Department of Business Administration of Sagrado, and supported by the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico. The study was revealed at the Forum and presentation on the World Values Survey for Puerto Rico 2018, at the Sacred Heart University, where a panel of renowned experts in different areas analyzed and commented on the results.


The World Values Survey is an instrument that allows the development of statistics on the ethical, social, economic and political values of Puerto Ricans, as well as the assessment of their daily lives, civic and governmental institutions, and their connection with the world of work, their families and their communities. This survey provides an opportunity to address the nature of social capital in Puerto Rico vis-a-vis the rest of the world and, therefore, to know what the people are prepared to do and what they need to plan their development as a social, economic and cultural collective.

One of the relevant data from this study points out that the majority of people in Puerto Rico (91%) consider themselves quite happy or very happy. However, despite the fact that 85% understand that their neighborhood is very safe or quite safe, 71% avoid carrying a lot of cash and 54% do not leave their house at night, as a security measure. On the other hand, only a minority thinks that most people can be trusted (18%).

The study also reveals that a majority has no interest in politics (52%) and would not vote for any political party and only for independent candidates (54%). In 2001, the percentage that showed no interest in politics represented 28%.

For the lead author of the study, Dr. Javier Hernández, “The World Values Survey is a valuable tool that will allow us to compare results with over 60 countries. It is part of the efforts to make Puerto Rico part of the main international indicators and to support institutional decision-making. The survey addresses issues of great relevance to the government, academia, the third sector and civil society, so we invite all sectors to analyze their results.”

“The return of Puerto Rico to the World Values Survey represents an important effort, since it allows us to continue with the recommendation of the Institute of Statistics to make Puerto Rico part of the main indicators at the global level. In the same way, this project represents a vital source of information to contribute to the culture of evidence-based decision-making. This is valuable information about our values, beliefs and political culture, among other information, necessary to guide public policy decisions. The survey results have a multisectoral scope, which is key for different levels of government, the non-governmental sector and the academy,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, acting executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The Sacred Heart University, established in 1880 by the religious order of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is a Catholic, private, non-profit institution that promotes a unique and innovative educational project in an environment characterized by excellent community life. The University offers associate degrees, baccalaureates, combined degrees, master's degrees, post-baccalaureate certificates and collaborative agreements with other universities in and outside of Puerto Rico. The academic offer focuses on the areas of Business Administration, Natural Sciences, Communication, Nursing and Humanities-Social Sciences.

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 or to access the 2018 World Values Survey for Puerto Rico you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/ or through the social networks of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

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Press Contacts:

Lourdes Burgos/787-562-2932/ lburgos@upfrontpr.net

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

It is urgent to answer the 2020 Census

PRESS RELEASE

PUERTO RICO STATE DATA CENTER NETWORK (SDC-PR)

It is urgent to answer the 2020 Census

Only one in four households in Puerto Rico has responded

San Juan, PR, July 15, 2020 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute reported that, as of July 13, only 25% of households in Puerto Rico had responded to the 2020 Decennial Census. This percentage places Puerto Rico in the lowest response position compared to other jurisdictions. In addition, it indicates that Puerto Rico is 29 percentage points lower than the self-employed response to the previous Census in 2010 (54%).

During the months of April and June, field personnel from the Federal Census Bureau delivered the questionnaire and invitation to complete it to homes. The information that residents must provide is of paramount importance for the immediate future of Puerto Rico and its municipalities. Completing the 2020 Census, among many other aspects of social and economic planning, allows:

  • Find out how many there are specifically in Puerto Rico
  • that children have the necessary services for their development
  • that our elderly population get their proper care
  • a correct and adequate distribution of funds for our population

Currently, in municipalities, the level of response ranges from 14 to 31 percent. Among the lowest levels are Culebra, Vieques, Rincón Guánica and Luquillo. On the other hand, the highest percentages at the moment indicate that they are those in the municipalities of Hormigueros, Guaynabo, Bayamón, Sabana Grande and Caguas. Detailed response information by town can be accessed at censo.estadisticas.pr.

“Just by taking 10 to 15 minutes to complete it, residents of each household can significantly improve their response to the 2020 Census. They can do it either by Internet, paper or telephone,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, manager of statistical projects at the Institute.

Answering the Census is a constitutional mandate. Census data influences daily life, providing information for making important decisions about funding community services and infrastructure, including health care, senior centers, jobs, political representation, roads, schools and businesses. In other words, it serves as a guide so that communities can obtain the fair funds they need, as well as supporting companies to make decisions based on data that encourage the economy. For more details, data and information about the 2020 Census you can access to: https://2020census.gov/es.html.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with 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 accessible quickly and universally. In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau about Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates, the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact:

Idia Martínez

787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net