Dr. Mario Marazzi presents at regional economic development forum

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Institute of Statistics publishes the latest report on violent deaths: 733 fatalities in 2023

Data from the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System reveals 483 homicides and 241 suicides in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (Institute), through the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System (PRVDRS), has presented the findings of its latest report for the year 2023. The data reveals that 674 violent death incidents were recorded in Puerto Rico, resulting in 733 fatalities.

Of the total victims reported, 483 were homicides (65.9%), 241 were suicides (32.9%), six were legal interventions (0.8%), and three were deaths of undetermined intent (0.4%), totaling 733 victims. The crude violent death rate stood at 22.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. Men accounted for nearly nine out of every 10 victims (87.4%).

Key findings from the 2023 Report:

• Homicide profile: Violence primarily affected individuals between the ages of 15 and 39. Additionally, 38.5% of homicides (186 cases) occurred in settings of collective violence linked to drug trafficking.

• Gender-based and family violence: 34 fatalities related to family violence were documented. Of the 24 cases related to intimate partner violence, 91.7% (22 victims) were women. In nearly 8 out of 10 of these femicides (77.3%), a firearm was used.

• Mental health: The suicide rate was 7.5 per 100,000 inhabitants (13.1 for men; 2.5 for women), with asphyxiation being the primary method.

• Firearm use: 90.7% of homicides in Puerto Rico were committed with firearms, compared to a global average of 55.8%.

In light of these figures, researchers at the Institute emphasized that the collection and publication of this data should serve as a catalyst for changing strategies in Puerto Rico. "Over nearly 10 years, invaluable data has been collected. This allows us to understand the magnitude of this problem from a public health perspective, identifying the contexts of violence in Puerto Rico to develop evidence-based prevention strategies for both government agencies and community organizations," stated Dr. Diego Zavala, epidemiologist and co-investigator of the PRVDRS.

For his part, Mario O. Font Martin, the PRVDRS coordinator, emphasized that "violence is a phenomenon that cannot be addressed exclusively by law enforcement agencies; it requires a comprehensive and multisectoral approach."

Marking the tenth anniversary of the PRVDRS's affiliation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the executive director of the Institute, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, highlighted the importance of the project's trajectory: "Scientific evidence shows us that violence is a modifiable behavior if we understand its causes and take appropriate preventive actions. This report is one of the primary scientific tools for promoting changes in strategy."

The 2023 Puerto Rico Violent Death Report is available on the Institute's website in the official section for the Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System: Puerto Rico Violent Death Reporting System - 2023 Annual Report.

The pace of population aging in Puerto Rico has accelerated

The pace of population aging in Puerto Rico has accelerated

This is indicated by the demographic features of the 2020 Census

San Juan, PR, May 25, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released data on population and housing characteristics based on the 2020 Decennial Census. The data covers a variety of demographics, race and Hispanic origin, household composition, and more. In turn, the data respond to another segment of the main tables that are usually published for each decennial census. The information is available for various geographic levels, such as the United States, states, Puerto Rico, municipalities in Puerto Rico, counties in the United States and census tracts. These statistics refer to April 1, 2020. Representing the U.S. Census Bureau's Census Data and Information Center Network (SDC-PR) in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) reported several findings from the new publication:

1) Compared to the 2010 Decennial Census, compared to the most recent list available Decennial Census 2020, both with a reference date of April 1, 2020, the data indicate that:

• The median age of the total population in Puerto Rico increased by about eight (8) years, from 36.9 (2010) to 45.2 (2020) in the decade.
• The increase reflected in Puerto Rico was markedly different from the rate of aging reflected in the same period in other jurisdictions, with the closest increases of three (3) years in the median age in the states of Arizona and Mississippi.
• The median age by sex in Puerto Rico changed from 35.1 to 43.5 years for men and from 38.6 to 46.6 years for women.

2) With regard to the sex distribution of the population in Puerto Rico:

• This went from 48% men and 52% women (Census 2010) to a distribution of 47% men and 53% women (Census 2020).
• The ratio indicator for sex dropped from 92.0 (2010 Census) to 89.7 (2020 Census), which suggests that there were about 90 men per 100 women in Puerto Rico in 2020.

3) The tenure of total occupied housing in Puerto Rico (1,376,531) according to the 2020 Census, was shown to be comprised of 70.2% by landlords and 29.8% by renters.

“The published data are of the utmost importance. The breakdowns that were not available by age, sex and housing, according to the most recent enumeration, now make it possible to adjust the bases of estimates and projections, as well as to provide an updated framework for statistical sampling of households or populations at different geographical levels,” said Alberto L. Velázquez-Estrada, Senior Manager of Statistical Projects at the Institute.

The U.S. Census Bureau published an interactive summary that allows us to view various interesting published data from the 2020 Census, and provides a comparison with the previous Decennial Censuses 2000 and 2010. The visualization can be accessed at: https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/how-has-our-nations-population-changed.html.

All the tables published about the 2020 Census can be accessed 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 website, 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 website 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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