How many babies are born each year for every 1,000 people? This is the birth rate: a fundamental indicator for planning health and education services.

How many new members are joining our big family? The birth rate allows you to plan everything from schools to children's health services.

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and the Fire Bureau have coordinated strategies to improve the Bureau's statistical reporting.

Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, Executive Director of the Institute, and Commissioner Josué Piñeiro Torres of the Fire Bureau led a meeting that resulted in a work plan to improve the processes for collecting, analyzing, and producing the statistics and reports generated by the Bureau.

Producing more comprehensive, reliable, and easily accessible statistics will promote better decision-making and service optimization.

Access the infographic on incidents reported by the Puerto Rico Fire Bureau: Incidents reported by the Puerto Rico Fire Bureau (2022-2025).

The Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS), affiliated with the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, published today its most recent informative bulletin detailing preliminary data on violent deaths that occurred in the archipelago between January and March 2026.

First Quarter (Q1) Summary

During these first 90 days of the year, a total of 167 violent deaths were preliminarily registered. This represents an average of approximately two violent deaths per day (1.8). The system defines a violent death as one caused by the intentional use of physical force or power against oneself (suicides), another person, or against a group or community (homicides).

Findings on Homicides

70.0% of the violent deaths registered in this period (117 cases) were homicides. Regarding the demographic profile, it stands out that 97% of the victims were men, with the population aged 20 to 39 being the most affected (for both men and women). Firearms remained the primary instrument, used in 93.0% of the reported homicides.

Findings on Suicides

23.0% of the violent deaths corresponded to suicides, for a total of 38 cases. Approximately 8 out of 10 of these victims were men. The 40 to 59 age group accounted for half of the cases (50.0%). During this first quarter, the overall suicide rate stood at 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants.

About the PRVDRS

Established in 2016 with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the PRVDRS collects and consolidates data from the Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Puerto Rico Police Department, and the Demographic Registry. This provides a clear and precise view of violence in the archipelago to help formulate informed prevention strategies.

Public Access

We invite citizens and health and safety professionals to explore the annual reports, quarterly bulletins, and other statistical products through our interactive digital magazine and portals:

• Digital Magazine: Sistema de Notificación de Muertes Violentas de Puerto Rico (PRVDRS) | PDF to Flipbook

• Interactive Tool: PRVDRS Dashboard

• Linktree: PRVDRS | Linktree

• Official Portal: Puerto Rico Statistics | Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System