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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Nearly half of all homicides of women recorded in Puerto Rico between 2021 and August 2026 were femicides.

Of the 128 identified femicides, 119 were classified as intimate or familial, according to updated data from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

Of the 263 homicides of women recorded in Puerto Rico between 2021 and August 2026, 128 (48.7%) were classified as femicides. This data is derived from the update to the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics' Femicide Statistics Compilation and Management System.

The update also reveals that 119 of the 128 femicides (93.0%) were classified as intimate or familial. In these cases, the perpetrator was the victim's partner or a family member, according to the system's classification. The portal incorporates data for 2026 and new indicators regarding the annual total of femicides and cases followed by the perpetrator's suicide. Additionally, it presents a new infographic on femicides recorded between 2021 and 2025 and a redesigned interface to facilitate data consultation and understanding. These data reflect that a significant proportion of femicides occur within the context of close relationships, highlighting the importance of examining gender-based violence and its manifestations within intimate partner and family settings.

Mariluz Bezares Salinas, Statistical Project Manager at the Institute of Statistics, stated, "This data reminds us that femicidal violence continues to claim lives in Puerto Rico and that addressing it requires a sustained response. That is why it is important to continue collecting and analyzing information that helps us better understand these cases, identify patterns, and recognize the factors associated with this issue. Continuing our research allows us to seek more effective ways to prevent and respond to these situations."

Additionally, a new infographic has been added to the femicide dashboard. It presents further information on the context of femicides that occurred during the 2021–2025 period, including the profile of the victims and the mechanism of death, among other variables. The infographic also includes sections dedicated to intimate femicides and femicides followed by the perpetrator's suicide, with specific information on the characteristics of these events.

"Continuing to make this data accessible is crucial to raising awareness of the magnitude of this problem and providing authorities and organizations with evidence-based tools that lead us toward the eradication of violence and saving lives," said Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The platform, featuring the most recent data and resources to facilitate the understanding of femicide statistics, is available on the official website of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, in the Femicide Statistics Compilation and Management System section at the following link: https://www.estadisticas.pr.gov/productos/portal-del-sistema-de-compilacion-de-datos-de-feminicidios-en-puerto-rico.

Statistics Institute launches Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to facilitate access to data.