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January 21, 2018

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUERTO RICO INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS QUESTIONS PURPOSE OF CONSOLIDATING TO “OUTSOURCE”

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, today questioned the purpose of consolidating this public entity, with the sole purpose of outsourcing it later, as proposed in Reorganization Plan No. 1 referring to the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) for the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute.

To expedite the proposal to “outsource” the Institute's functions, the Government could simply propose a bill to amend the Institute's Organic Law. Another alternative could be to consider including your outsourcing proposal in an existing legislative vehicle, such as Senate Bill 236 (Open Data Act). But, in this case, it was proposed to merge for the sole purpose of 'externalizing' its functions. It is a proposal that seems strange to us. I don't want to think of it as a mechanism designed to prevent the Legislative Assembly from discharging its function of analyzing and finally approving the reorganizations of entities created by law, such as the Institute.

On January 8, 2018, at a press conference from La Fortaleza, the Secretary of Public Affairs and Public Policy, Lcdo. Ramón Rosario Cortés, presented a proposal to reorganize the DDEC and consolidate several public entities, including the Institute. In the case of the Institute, it is proposed to consolidate it with the DDEC, with the sole purpose of outsourcing its functions, in order to guarantee its “real independence” since, as recognized by Rosario Cortés himself that day, the Institute since its creation, “although it has had independence, it depends on appointments from the Governor, including Executive officials who are part of that Board”.

For his part, Dr. Marazzi-Santiago thanked the recognition that statistical functions must be performed without political interference. “We are ready to study alternative mechanisms that allow the selection of members of the Institute's Board of Directors without the need for the incumbent Government to interfere. Recent experiences with this issue provide compelling evidence to support the desirability of this change in public policy,” said the Executive Director of the Institute.

The Institute was created as a public instrument with so much administrative and fiscal autonomy that it already allows it to operate outside the Government, almost like a private company. As La Fortaleza is already aware, the Institute does not consult its contracts or appointments with La Fortaleza or with the Office of Management and Budget, but rather makes these decisions as in private companies, based on professional and technical criteria that ensure adequate governance of our institution.

Marazzi assured that this governance model has not only proven to be successful, but that the Institute's objectivity and professionalism have been recognized by numerous users of its services and interested individuals, most recently by the Congressional Task Force created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stabilization Act (PROMESA) of 2016, which specifically recommended that the Institute continue to protect its independence.

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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, more than 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a guardian 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.

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.

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

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More than half of Puerto Rico's households have internet access

San Juan, Puerto Rico. April 9, 2025 — Faced with growing public interest in issues related to international trade and tariffs, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute reminded citizens that, on its official website, www.estadisticas.pr, the “External Trade Interface” tool is available, where they can access official data on imports and exports of goods in Puerto Rico.

The Foreign Trade section of the portal contains monthly statistics on the value and volume of goods entering and leaving the jurisdiction. This information allows us to know what products Puerto Rico exports, to which countries they are going and, in turn, which products are imported and from which countries they come. This data is useful for identifying business opportunities abroad, as well as within Puerto Rico. In addition, they are an important input for the preparation of Puerto Rico's Gross Domestic Product statistics.

“At a time when issues of international trade and tariffs are an active part of the public conversation, it is essential that citizens have access to official and reliable information that allows them to carry out adequate analyses and make informed decisions,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The statistics are collected and processed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection And the U.S. Census Bureau, using customs and export declaration forms that are completed when importing or exporting goods. The Institute downloads, processes, transforms and organizes data so that information is available exclusively for Puerto Rico with its business partners.

As part of his commitment to statistical education, Dr. Ronald Hernández, Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute, indicated that those interested in learning more about this tool can access a Webinar free of charge that explains in detail how to access, interpret and use foreign trade data. The video is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/2yuAh9X6qK4.

The Foreign Trade section allows you to filter the search and download of data since July 2002, according to different classifications used in economic analysis and international trade. These classifications include HTS systems and Schedule B, aimed at the classification of goods, including their tariff component; the SITC, used for the comparative analysis of trade by type of product; and the NAICS, which allows aggregation by sector or industry of origin or destination.

To access the External Trade Interface, you can visit www.estadisticas.pr and access the Foreign Trade section under the “Applications” tab. For the best experience, we recommend that you use the Firefox browser.

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 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.

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