Puerto Rico Commission for Suicide Prevention and Statistics Institute publish statistical report for 2019

Announcements
IEPR
24 December 2025

PRESS RELEASE

Puerto Rico Commission for Suicide Prevention and Statistics Institute publish statistical report for 2019

For the year 2019, 176 cases of suicide were reported, 67 cases less than in 2018

Dr. Orville M. Disdier, executive director of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported that a collaboration with the Commission for Suicide Prevention (CPS), attached to the Puerto Rico Department of Health, resulted in the “Annual Statistical Report on Deaths by Suicide 2019”.

“This report is of great importance for citizens, since it presents data on suicide for 2019 and draws comparisons with previous years. In addition, it collects data not only on fatal suicide events, but it also presents information on calls to the ASSMCA PAS line and, for the first time, includes data on suicide attempts and contemplations attended by the Emergency Medical Corps,” said Myribel Santiago, manager of statistical projects at the Institute and co-author of the publication.

The publication of this report underlines the importance of the Institute in coordinating the statistical production service of government entities. The Institute has the capacity not only to request statistical information from executive branch agencies, but also to provide them with collaboration, advice and the necessary tools to improve the quality of the statistics they produce.

“Despite the extraordinary circumstances we currently live in, we hope to continue collaborating. Today, more than ever, we need reliable and accurate data to facilitate the implementation of a responsible, informed and sensitive public policy to the complex reality we live in,” said Dr. María Isabel Coss, educational coordinator of the CPS and lead author of the publication.

For his part, Dr. Disdier argued that “the results of this collaborative report reflect that in 2019, a crude suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 inhabitants was observed, which is the lowest rate since 2000. Without a doubt, this is very positive and it also demonstrates the enormous importance of continuing to support the preparation of this type of report, since it is only with data that we can know if the prevention measures are giving the desired results”.

The CPS is responsible for promoting, developing, implementing, coordinating actions and strategies for suicide prevention, adopting an integrative and interdisciplinary approach aimed at individuals, families, communities at risk, and helping professionals. In addition, it emphasizes research, the development of prevention and intervention programs and

in raising public awareness of the magnitude and seriousness of suicide in Puerto Rico. For its part, the Institute is a governmental entity whose mission is to guarantee Puerto Rico that it has complete, reliable statistics, and quick and universal access.

You can access this annual report and other related reports through the following link: Suicide Statistics.

To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

###

Contacts:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28, 787-603-3200

Lourdes Burgos, R-27, 787-562-2932

Share this article:

Visit our Official Activities, and participate with us

Visit our Calls for applications and be part of the new opportunities we have for you.

If you have any questions or just want to contact us, visit the Contact Us section.

We are at your disposal. If you need custom statistics, do not hesitate to contact us.

Sign up for our online workshops. Connect with the experts and discover the power of data!

Visit our Blog and keep up to date with the latest news and topics of interest.

Visit our Press Releases and stay connected to the Institute.

Explore the Publication Calendar and keep up to date with Puerto Rico's statistics.

Complete the form for the selection of our Statistics Coordination Committee

Suscribe to receive news directly to your email.

Listen to the Official PRIS podcast and stay informed with the experts

Presentan Sistema de Indicadores de Puerto Rico: http://www.indicadores.pr.

Presentan Sistema de Indicadores de Puerto Rico: http://www.indicadores.pr. El nuevo portal permite un acceso fácil y rápido a los indicadores estadísticos de mayor importancia para Puerto Rico desde un solo lugar

The pace of population aging in Puerto Rico has accelerated

The pace of population aging in Puerto Rico has accelerated

The pace of population aging in Puerto Rico has accelerated

This is indicated by the demographic features of the 2020 Census

San Juan, PR, May 25, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released data on population and housing characteristics based on the 2020 Decennial Census. The data covers a variety of demographics, race and Hispanic origin, household composition, and more. In turn, the data respond to another segment of the main tables that are usually published for each decennial census. The information is available for various geographic levels, such as the United States, states, Puerto Rico, municipalities in Puerto Rico, counties in the United States and census tracts. These statistics refer to April 1, 2020. Representing the U.S. Census Bureau's Census Data and Information Center Network (SDC-PR) in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported several findings from the new publication:

1) Compared to the 2010 Decennial Census, compared to the most recent list available Decennial Census 2020, both with a reference date of April 1, 2020, the data indicate that:

  • The median age of the total population in Puerto Rico increased by about eight (8) years, from 36.9 (2010) to 45.2 (2020) in the decade.
  • The increase reflected in Puerto Rico was markedly different from the rate of aging reflected in the same period in other jurisdictions, with the closest increases of three (3) years in the median age in the states of Arizona and Mississippi.
  • The median age by sex in Puerto Rico changed from 35.1 to 43.5 years for men and from 38.6 to 46.6 years for women.

2) With regard to the sex distribution of the population in Puerto Rico:

  • This went from 48% men and 52% women (Census 2010) to a distribution of 47% men and 53% women (Census 2020).
  • The ratio indicator for sex dropped from 92.0 (2010 Census) to 89.7 (2020 Census), which suggests that there were about 90 men per 100 women in Puerto Rico in 2020.

3) The tenure of total occupied housing in Puerto Rico (1,376,531) according to the 2020 Census, was shown to be comprised of 70.2% by landlords and 29.8% by renters.

“The published data are of the utmost importance. The breakdowns that were not available by age, sex and housing, according to the most recent enumeration, now make it possible to adjust the bases of estimates and projections, as well as to provide an updated framework for statistical sampling of households or populations at different geographical levels,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Senior Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

The U.S. Census Bureau published an interactive summary that allows us to view various interesting published data from the 2020 Census, and provides a comparison with the previous Decennial Censuses 2000 and 2010. The visualization can be accessed at: https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/how-has-our-nations-population-changed.html.

All the tables published about the 2020 Census can be accessed in the data dissemination tool of the U.S. Census Bureau: data.census.gov. In addition, as the leading entity of the State Data Center of Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC website, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on 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 decennial population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC website can be accessed through: censo.estadisticas.pr.

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 visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

The price of eggs in the urban area of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is 40% higher than the average in urban areas of the United States

40% higher the price of eggs in the urban area of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas

Similarly, grocery items are 11.4% more expensive in this area than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States

San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 22, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute released the results of the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the third quarter of 2024, corresponding to the months of July, August and September. The data reveals that the urban area of the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked number 18 in the supermarket category. In percentage terms, the supermarket items in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA are 11.4% more expensive than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States.

Within the category of supermarket items, the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA is positioned as the most expensive urban area in the United States for the cost of eggs, ranking first in the ranking. This means that this product is 40% higher than the average in urban areas of the United States. On the other hand, in the health care category, the visit to the general practitioner is in position number 295, while dental cleaning is in position 293, positioning the urban area as one of the most affordable among the participants in the country for these services.

In terms of the overall Cost of Living, the urban area of Metropolitan Statistical Area San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked 80th out of 295 in the United States, with a composite index of 102.3. This indicates that the cost of living in this area is 2.3% higher than the average of participating urban areas in the United States.

Below are the indexes and rankings by category for the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA:

 

Category

Index

Ranking

Utilities

155.3

5/295

Grocery items

111.4

18/295

Housing

102.1

83/295

Transportation

91.1

238/295

Miscellaneous goods and services

92.4

246/295

Health care

70.5

295/295

COLI Index

102.3

80/295

The composite index is derived from six main categories of consumer spending, with high costs in public services and supermarket items highlighted. These are partially offset by relatively low costs in health care and miscellaneous goods and services.

The 15 municipalities that make up the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and that meet the characteristics for price collection according to the established methodology are: Bayamón, Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cidra, Dorado, Gurabo, Guaynabo, Rio Grande, San Juan, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto and Vega Alta.

“The COLI results for the third quarter of 2024 show that in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA, public services, grocery items and housing are, on average, much more expensive than in most participating MSAs in the rest of the United States. The COLI, carried out by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, is an essential tool for evidence-based decision-making related to the development and economic growth of Puerto Rico,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Institute.

COLI is a crucial tool for understanding regional differences in the costs of consumer goods and services. The indices are calculated based on data collected quarterly in each participating urban area. Since 1968, the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) has developed this widely recognized methodology.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute also offers a comparative cost-of-living calculator between the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and the rest of the participating cities in the United States. This tool is available at: https://apps.estadisticas.pr/coli/.

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 visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or 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.