PRESS RELEASE

Puerto Rico Statistics Institute Urges Secretary of Health to Provide Data on Covid-19 on the Island

April 8, 2020: In view of the non-compliance with the submission of data on COVID-19 in Puerto Rico and in accordance with Act No. 209-2003, as amended, known as the Statistics Institute Act, the executive director of that entity, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, made a formal request to the Secretary of the Department of Health (DS), Dr. Lorenzo González Feliciano, to provide the necessary data. “Although the Institute's Information Requirements Regulations state that, in response to an Official Information Request, the agency has up to 20 days to provide it, we ask the DS to do so immediately, as this is a matter of the highest priority, given the likelihood that infections and deaths will continue to increase in Puerto Rico,” said Disdier.

The Law that created the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) states that its purpose is to promote changes in data collection and statistics systems so that they are complete, reliable and accessible quickly and universally. To this end, the Institute has the primary mission of coordinating the Statistics Production Service of the Government of Puerto Rico, of requesting information, both from the public and private sectors, and of developing the policy for the development of the public statistical function. According to Disdier, although most agencies comply with this, unfortunately there are others that do not do their duty.

“Since long before this COVID-19 emergency began, the Institute has been communicating, through official email and phone calls, with the Department of Health to offer collaboration and request that they provide us with detailed data on cases of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico. In addition, we have held communications and meetings with staff from Fortaleza and with some members of the Task Force that advises the governor on this pandemic. They repeatedly state that they will provide the data, but the reality is that they arrive late, incomplete, in inadequate formats or there are days when they simply don't arrive,” he said.

Specifically, the Institute has requested the following information and detailed data, for each individual being tested for COVID-19 in Puerto Rico: Case number (Unique ID), sex (M, F, or other), region of residence, municipality of residence, age (in years), test results for COVID-19 (positive, negative, pending, undetermined, or other), date of onset of symptoms (day and month), date of sample collection or date of submission of the sample (day and month), and if the person died.

Disdier highlighted that, in order to promote greater collaboration, the Institute served as a facilitator and for a few days now, the project to implement a rapid system for the daily collection of data on COVID-19 in hospitals has been successfully completed. As a result, every day the Department of Health receives data from hospitals, in a fast, simple and standardized way.

“It is now up to the Department of Health to share the revised and official data with the Institute. That is, right now we should be receiving these official data on a daily basis and that is not happening. These data are necessary so that the Institute can keep citizens informed and to develop action plans that make it feasible to control this pandemic,” concluded Disdier.

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

‍

PRESS RELEASE

PUERTO RICO STATE DATA CENTER NETWORK (SDC-PR)

Guánica lost 29% of its population according to the 2020 Census

A comparison of the 2010-2020 Decennial Censuses also indicates that 74 of the 78 municipalities lost at least 5% of their population in the past decade

San Juan, PR, August 12, 2021 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released more results of the official population enumeration, also known as the 2020 Decennial Census. The published data are related to the information necessary to begin electoral redistribution work in the jurisdictions of the states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. These contain a little more detail compared to the total population data released last April. The data includes the total population, by characteristics of race and Hispanic origin at the level of states, municipalities, by age 18 and over and for more specific geographical areas such as census tracts and others. The results are as of April 1, 2020, which is the reference date of the Decennial Census. As part of the State Data Center Network of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) presents several initial findings from the results of the 2020 Census:

1. In a comparison between the 2010 Decennial Census and the 2020 Decennial Census, the results indicate that in percentage terms:
   • All municipalities in Puerto Rico reflected the loss of their resident population, with percentage changes ranging from -0.1% to 29.0%.
   • The municipalities with the highest population loss were Guánica (29%), Maricao (24%), Loíza (21%) and Yabucoa (20%).
   • On the other hand, the municipalities with the lowest population loss were Rincón (-0.1%), Culebra (1%), Naranjito and Barranquitas with about 4%.
   • In summary, some 74 municipalities showed a reduction in their resident population of at least 5% over the decade.

2. In addition, the population aged 18 and over changed between the Decennial Censuses:
   • At the Puerto Rico level, from 2,822,494 (2010) to 2,724,903 (2020), translating into a reduction of 97,591 people or -3.5% within that age group.
   • At the level of municipalities:
     • 24 municipalities reflected an increase in this population group (18+) that ranged from 0.1% to 9.2%,
     • The remaining 54 municipalities reflected a population reduction (18+) of between -0.1% and -21.3%
     • Population reductions (18+) occurred in the following municipalities, Guánica (21%), Maricao (17%), Mayagüez (13%), Loíza (12%), Yabucoa and Yauco with 10%.
3. Regarding housing units, the results published at the Puerto Rico level indicate the following totals:
   • 1,598,159 housing units
     • 1,340,534 were busy
     • 257,625 were vacant

“Broadly speaking, population changes in municipalities range from mild or moderate reductions to drastic reductions, with population losses of 10% or more, in most municipalities, in a single decade. The new publication of Census 2020 results begins to highlight changes that have occurred over the past decade. The data, in turn, give way to the beginning of countless possible analyses and comparisons that must be considered when making socioeconomic decisions in Puerto Rico, its regions and within municipalities,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

Tables with published characteristics will not yet be published in the U.S. Census Bureau's data dissemination tool data.census.gov. Various data released today from the 2020 Census can be accessed through:

Visualizations available at:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2020/2020-visualizations.html

widget Quick Facts In:

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219

In addition, as the leading entity of Puerto Rico's SDC, the Institute manages the SDC portal, 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 and official statistics on Puerto Rico's decennial population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal 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 our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

##

For questions:

preguntas@estadisticas.pr

‍

Press Release

The results of the fifth edition of the Survey on the Adoption of Broadband Technology in Companies in Puerto Rico are available

76% of businesses make sales or receive payments through online transactions.

76% of businesses make sales or receive payments through online transactions, the main sector in this regard being wholesalers and warehousing businesses, of which 86% carry out transactions through these means. This is based on data published in the fifth edition of the Puerto Rico Business Broadband Technology Adoption Survey (2019); this survey was conducted by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) in collaboration with the non-profit organization Connect Puerto Rico. This product includes statistics related to the availability, access and use of information technologies and broadband Internet in companies in Puerto Rico. The data were obtained through telephone surveys conducted with nearly 800 local companies.

“Having data, such as those provided by this type of survey, helps to know the availability and limitations of access to this technology in the economic sector. In the same way, it allows us to know the indicators on electronic commerce in Puerto Rico,” said Francisco Pesante, Assistant for Statistical Projects at the Institute.

From the 2019 edition of the Survey on the Adoption of Broadband Technology in Companies in Puerto Rico, the following findings are highlighted:

• 93% of the companies surveyed reported using the Internet for their operations.
• 99% of establishments dedicated to the financial and professional services sector reported using the Internet for their operations.
• 87% of establishments reported using broadband Internet to conduct their businesses.
• 77% of the establishments surveyed reported that their bandwidth is adequate to meet their needs.
• 70% of retail establishments reported using social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.
• The main activities of commercial establishments, in which the use of the Internet is involved, are:
  • Communicate with your customers (76%)
  • Billing and collection (73%)
  • Purchases of goods and services (71%)

• 47% of the establishments surveyed are owned by a woman or a woman is one of the owners, if there are co-owners.

The acting executive director of the Institute of Statistics, Dr. Orville M. Disdier said that “At the Institute of Statistics, we are pleased to collaborate in the collection of data that serve as indicators for economic sectors. According to our vision, we work to guarantee Puerto Rico that it has complete, reliable statistics, and quick and universal access.”

Some of the findings of the report are summarized in the visualization accessible through the following link: https://tabsoft.co/32ZXdM3.

For more information about this survey, as well as previous surveys, interested individuals can access: https://cutt.ly/ieue8ZY. To learn about the data sets you can visit: https://cutt.ly/Neue4hy.

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

###

Contacts:

Idia M. Martinez, R-28

787-603-3200

Lourdes Burgos, R-27

787-562-2932

‍