Press Release

DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Demographic Registry complies with the order of publishing mortality data

The action paves the way for greater transparency than

It saves lives after future hurricanes in Puerto Rico

San Juan, PR, August 30, 2018 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) announced today that the Demographic Registry has begun to comply with the Resolution No. 2018-03 of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the purpose of disseminating a set of data (Dataset) which contains preliminary information on deaths, which will be updated weekly on the open data platform managed by the Institute.

The Institute's Board of Directors had ordered this disclosure as a “measure of transparency” in the face of concerns raised last year regarding deaths that occurred after the passage of hurricanes Irma and María.

The released dataset contains information for each recorded death, which occurred from January 1, 2017 to the most recent week. It includes information on causes of death, month of death, place of residence, place of birth, type of death, sex, marital status, age, education level, occupation, industry, veteran status, and more.

This can be downloaded from the Institute's new open data platform, available here: https://datos.estadisticas.pr/dataset/defunciones-registradas-hasta-la-semana-pasada. The platform also allows you to preview the data and also allows you to develop applications that connect to the data set automatically through the use of Application Programming Interface (API).

Although the Resolution of the Board of Directors mandates that this data set be updated daily, the Department of Health and the Institute of Statistics agreed to update it weekly, as long as there is no emergency declaration. If an emergency is declared in the future, the Demographic Registry will be updating the data daily, to facilitate the analysis of these data that can save lives. In fact, this protocol should be included in the Department of Health's next Emergency Plan.

“Right now, more than ever, it has become evident the importance of the accessibility of statistical data to determine trends during specific times or phenomena, resulting in more assertive responses to an emergency. The certainty and transparency of this type of information could make the difference between life and death. Both the Department of Health and Governor Ricardo Rosselló's administration have always promoted free access to information, especially at a time when we seek to perfect every aspect of our contingency plans for times of emergency. This initiative, which unites the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics and the Demographic Registry, points in that direction. We are pleased that it is materializing and that steps are being taken in the data collection process, for the benefit of Puerto Rican citizens,” said the Secretary of Health, Dr. Rafael Rodríguez Mercado.

For his part, the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, stressed: “The Department of Health's mortality statistics take a long time to prepare and publish. The newly published data help to perceive mortality in the short term, without the extensive purification protocol required by official statistics. In this way, we demonstrate our Government's commitment to transparency, and we are also preparing to respond more quickly to the mortality that may occur after the next hurricane. The data will be available even if there is no regular electric power service in Puerto Rico. This disclosure literally saves lives. It's the least we can do to recognize and honor the memory of the thousands of people who died as a result of Hurricane Maria.”

The announcement opens the way for the filing of a lawsuit that the Institute had filed in May of this year to force the Department of Health to provide this data on a recurring basis in order to comply with Resolution No. 2018-03 of the Institute's Board of Directors. In accordance with its Organic Law, the Institute has the power to demand or require from any governmental body the information or data it deems necessary for statistical purposes.

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. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, about 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

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 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 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 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.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes/(787) 688-0401

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Statisticians rank among the professions with the highest growth in employment in the next decade in Puerto Rico

PRESS RELEASE

RED STATE DATA CENTER OF PUERTO RICO (SDC‐PR)

Population under 18 has fallen by 36% over the decade

According to new estimates of the population by age and sex 2010-2019

San Juan, PR, June 25, 2020 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released the most recent Annual Population Estimates by age and sex characteristics for municipalities, Puerto Rico and counties in the United States. These statistics refer to July 1, 2019 and include population estimates by age group for each municipality.

On behalf of the State Data Center Network of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported several findings from the new publication of population estimates for 2019 compared to those of July 1, 2010:

1. From 2010 to 2019, the population under 18 years of age in Puerto Rico reflected a reduction of 324,293 residents, representing a percentage change of ‐ 36%. As of July 1, 2010, this population was 897,024, nine years later in 2019 it is estimated at 572,731.
2. In terms of the proportion of large age groups in the population, those under 18 used to represent 24% (2010) in Puerto Rico, now they comprise 18% (2019).
3. The population structure by age and sex (pyramid) of 2010 compared to that of 2019 shows how the composition has changed rapidly in Puerto Rico. Its base is much narrower, indicating a decline in infants, children and adolescents.
4. On the other hand, the top of the pyramid reflects a significant increase in age groups aged 65 and over, which translates into an older population.
5. Puerto Rico's median age is estimated to have increased about six years over the decade, from 37.0 years in 2010 to 43.2 years in 2019.

“The estimates by demographic characteristics of age and sex allow us to detail the population trend in Puerto Rico. For example, the drastic decline in births has a direct influence and is reflected at the base of the population pyramid. As of 2010, the population in age groups between 0-4 and 5-9 years comprised about 3% of women and men, respectively. In 2019, the base shrank with percentages close to or below 2%,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

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The 2019 annual population estimates for Puerto Rico and its municipalities can be accessed on the census data and information page on Puerto Rico of the SDC‐PR network at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/EstimadosPoblacionales, and more details on the annual estimates at: census.gov/programs‐surveys/popest.html.

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The Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the systems for collecting data and statistics, 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 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 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr. 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

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