42% of Puerto Rico’s municipalities have lost more than 15% of their population in 25 years

Thirty-three of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities, or 42% of the island, have lost more than 15% of their population over the past 25 years, according to the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The municipalities with the largest population declines include Guánica, which lost 45.8%, followed by Ceiba at 41%, Loíza at 33.7%, Maricao at 32.7% and Yauco at 31.8%.

Lanselotte Oliveras Vega, an assistant in Statistical Projects in the Demography and Geography area of the institute, said that when the population is divided by age groups, all 78 municipalities have lost more than half of their children between the ages of 0 and 9.

She noted that the demographic shift is reflected in other areas of society, including a decline in childcare centers, schools, stores and other establishments aimed at children.

New demographic observatory

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics launched a new Municipal Demographic Observatory that provides indicators on population, aging, birth rates, mortality and migration.

The tool brings together data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Decennial Census, population estimates and Puerto Rico Community Survey, as well as birth and death records from Puerto Rico’s Department of Health and population projections from the Planning Board.

The institute said the platform is designed to give municipalities and the public faster access to key demographic statistics to support planning, municipal management and decision-making.