San Juan, Puerto Rico. May 6, 2025. The number of graduates in creative disciplines in Puerto Rico increased by 26.4% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Puerto Rico Creative Industries Report 2021-2022 published by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics. The report notes that 1,930 people graduated in 2022 from programs related to art, design, technology and media, with baccalaureate being the most common degree (56.2%), and graphic design the discipline with the most graduates (20.6%). This compared to 1,527 who graduated in 2021.

This educational growth, together with a 5% increase in the number of creative establishments that reached 2,227 in 2022, outlines a dynamic landscape for this key sector in Puerto Rico's economic diversification and innovation. However, the report also documents an 11.3% drop in employment in these industries, with 14,550 people employed in 2022 compared to 16,415 in the previous year. Other findings from the report include:

Creative Establishments

• 68.5% of the establishments are small businesses with between 1 and 4 employees.
• Distribution by sector: Art (36.3%), Media (30.6%) and Creative Services (26.4%).

Opportunities

• The increase in graduates and new businesses reflects a growing academic offering and greater interest in creative careers.
• Sectors such as technology and advertising offer competitive salaries to attract and retain talent.

Identified Challenges

• 86% of establishments are micro-enterprises with less than 10 employees.
• Gender gaps persist, especially in high-paying sectors, where female representation is low.
• There is a geographical concentration of companies in municipalities with greater purchasing power, with peripheral areas lagging behind.
• Trade deficit: the value of imports triples that of exports, although there are signs of improvement.

Despite the challenges, the report highlights significant opportunities, such as a robust academic offering and competitive salaries in technological and advertising areas.

“Creative industries integrate culture, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, making them a strategic economic sector for Puerto Rico,” said Francisco Pesante, Manager of Statistical Projects and author of the report. “This report puts into perspective the need to strengthen public policies, invest in specialized training and support small businesses in the creative sector, to ensure inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and promote Puerto Rico's competitiveness,” said Dr. Pesante.

The full report is available at: Creative Industries 2021-2022

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.

‍

Statements by the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, on the report of the Congressional Task Force

PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute publishes new section on economic indicators

The executive director of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), Dr. Orville M. Disdier, announced the availability of a new section of some economic indicators on its website, presented through interactive graphics.

“Fulfilling our mission of providing citizens with universal and rapid access to statistics, we created this section that will serve as a reference for government and private enterprise, in economic terms. In the same way, as the section is nourished with new data, it could eventually help outline plans for economic recovery due to COVID-19,” said Disdier.

The section currently has interactive graphics covering the period from March 2017 to May 2020, which will be updated as the Institute receives information from the agencies or entities concerned. The first of them, Puerto Rico Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PRM-PMI), is an indicator that measures the short-term productive side of Puerto Rico's economy, specifically manufacturing, and includes employment indicators, supplier deliveries, inventories, new orders and production.

In the graph, Production and Consumption of Electric Energy in Puerto Rico, information can be obtained from indicators, such as active customers, net generation in millions of kilowatt-hours (mKWh), total consumption (mKWh), cost per kWh purchased, and total income, among others.

Users of the page will also be able to access the graph, Total Non-Agricultural Wage Employment, adjusted and without seasonal adjustment.

In the fourth graph that the section currently has, you can obtain data on the number of initial Unemployment Insurance claims, which they receive at the Department of Labor and Human Resources in Puerto Rico.

The new economic indicators section can be found at www.estadisticas.pr.gov and can be accessed directly at the following Internet address: https://cutt.ly/2uv06YI.

“We call on agencies and the private sector that work with updated data or statistics that impact the Puerto Rico economy, both agriculture, international trade, and goods and services industries (manufacturing, tourism, construction, finance, consumption, among others), to contact us so that we can continue to add economy-related indicators that serve as a reference for decision-making for the well-being of Puerto Rico,” said Ana Gabriela Jara Castro, Manager of Statistical Projects.

About the Institute of Statistics

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 surveys on the social networks of Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico).

##

Press Contacts:

Idia Martinez/787-603-3200/ imartinez@upfrontpr.net

Lourdes Burgos/787-562-2932/ lourdesburgos09@gmail.com

‍