‍More than 4,300 Homicides and 1,600 Suicides Since 2017: Digital Platform Allows Exploration of Violent Deaths in Puerto Rico

From 2017 to 2023, Puerto Rico has recorded 4,304 homicides and 1,685 suicides.These figures reflect a complex phenomenon that impacts families, communities, and public safety and health throughout the archipelago.

With the goal of promoting a deeper and more accessible understanding of this reality, the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS) developed a digital platform that allows for a detailed and contextualized examination of the data.

“The public policy formulation process requires reliable data and rigorous analysis. This tool allows us to measure the magnitude of violent deaths in Puerto Rico and better understand the circumstances surrounding these incidents. Evidence-based decision-making is fundamental to effectively addressing this public health and safety issue,” expressed Planner Mario O. Font Martin, Statistical Projects Manager and Coordinator of the PRVDRS.

Data to Help Understand the Phenomenon

The PRVDRS integrates information from multiple official sources, including the Puerto Rico Police, the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and the Demographic Registry of the Department of Health. By combining these sources into an anonymized database, the system allows for the analysis of not only how many deaths occur but also the circumstances surrounding them.

From the start of data collection in 2017 through 2023, the system has documented:

• 4,304 homicides
• 1,685 suicides

This integration allows for the identification of patterns and trends that are not always visible in individual reports.

What Does the Digital Platform Offer?

The tool allows citizens to:

• Explore historical trends since 2017.
• Analyze data through interactive visualizations and maps.
• Examine the classification of violence (e.g., community or collective).
• Identify the type of weapon involved.
• Review circumstances associated with the incidents.

Currently, the platform presents official consolidated data through 2023, along with preliminary data from 2024 to 2026, which will be updated monthly.

A Nationally Integrated Effort

The PRVDRsis part of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The PRVDRS collects information documented by the Puerto Rico Police, the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and death certificates from the Department of Health's Demographic Registry into an anonymous database with over 600 variables. For more information on the NVDRS, you can access the following link: National Violent Death Reporting System.

This methodology allows for an understanding of not only the cause of death but also the circumstances and factors related to each case, facilitating comparisons with other U.S. jurisdictions.

Public Access

The platform is available through the official portal of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics: Puerto Rico Violent Death Notification System (PRVDRS) interactive tool

Open access to this data strengthens transparency and fosters informed conversations regarding violence prevention and public policy. Understanding the data is an essential step toward addressing one of the most complex challenges facing Puerto Rico in an informed manner.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Institute is an autonomous government entity responsible for coordinating the production of government statistics to ensure that the data collection systems upon which public policies are based are complete, reliable, and provide rapid and universal access.

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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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Population reduction continues in Puerto Rico's municipalities

This is indicated by the estimates for the month of July 2022 of the U.S. Census Bureau

San Juan, PR, March 30, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released the most recent Annual Population Estimates data for municipalities in Puerto Rico, as well as for counties in the United States. These statistics refer to July 1, 2022 and include estimates of the total population for each municipality and the population change in the current decade. On behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau's Network of Data and Census Information Centers (SDC-PR) in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported several findings from the new publication of population estimates for the year 2022:

1. Compared to the 2020 Decennial Census with reference to April 1, 2020, compared to the most recent year available, July 1, 2022, estimates indicate that:
   • Changes in the population of residents in municipalities ranged from 0.8% to -7.2%.
   • In 99% of the municipalities, a population decrease was estimated. Only for the municipality of Rincón, a slight increase (0.8%) was estimated.
   • Some 15 municipalities reflected an estimated reduction of more than three percent (3%) in the comparative period.
   • The total population of all of Puerto Rico is estimated to have fallen by two percent (2%), translating to nearly 64,000 fewer residents than in April 2020.

2. In relation to the geographical aspect between municipalities, with regard to the change in the total population estimated up to the year 2022, the interactive map provides the geographical distribution.

In this one you can identify:

• • The five municipalities with the highest percentage of population decline were Guánica (-7.2%), Loíza (-4.4%), Guayanilla (-4.0%), Ponce (-3.9%) and Maricao (-3.8%).
    • Four of the five municipalities are located in the south and west of Puerto Rico, and Loíza, on the other hand, in the northeast.
  • The five municipalities with the lowest percentage of population decline were Barranquitas (-0.1%), Naranjito (-0.1%), Aibonito (-0.3%), Isabela (-0.4%) and Moca (-0.5%).
    • The first three municipalities are located in the central area (Barranquitas, Naranjito and Aibonito) and the last two (Isabela and Moca) in the western part of Puerto Rico.

“The pattern of population estimates continues to show a tendency to decrease, a trait of which, at the level of Puerto Rico, we are already approaching nearly two decades (since 2005) of being an increasingly smaller resident population but with a different demographic composition,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Senior Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute. As an interactive summary, the Institute published a visualization that allows us to see the new series of estimates at the municipal level, facilitating geographical comparison within Puerto Rico. This visualization can be accessed at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/node/517.

The tables with the annual population estimates for Puerto Rico and its municipalities can be accessed at: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/EstimadosPoblacionales, as well as in the data dissemination tool of the U.S. Census Bureau: data.census.gov. In addition, as the leading entity of the State Data Center of 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 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 the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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