Birth rate in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Birth rate was 5.82 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.82 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
229th
of 236 countries
All-time high
39.2 births per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
5.73 births per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Puerto Rico, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Puerto Rico is 5.82 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Puerto Rico peaked at 39.2 births per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 5.73 births per 1,000 people, in 2020.
Puerto Rico ranks 229th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.2 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 37.93 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1952 | 36 births per 1,000 people | -5.1% |
| 1953 | 34.65 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1954 | 34.43 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1955 | 34.22 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1956 | 34.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 33.11 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1958 | 33.05 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 32.37 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1960 | 32.22 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 31.29 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1962 | 31.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 31.21 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 31.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 30.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 28.37 births per 1,000 people | -8.3% |
| 1967 | 27.09 births per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1968 | 25.73 births per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1969 | 25.21 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 24.7 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 25.44 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 24.34 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 23.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 23.93 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 23.55 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 24.18 births per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 24.5 births per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 24.09 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 23.34 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1980 | 22.73 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 21.92 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1982 | 21.09 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 19.83 births per 1,000 people | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 18.94 births per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 18.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 19.12 births per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 18.7 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 18.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 19.01 births per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 18.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 18.06 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 17.84 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 17.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 17.49 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 17.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 17.02 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 17.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 16.23 births per 1,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 15.73 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 15.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 14.76 births per 1,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 13.94 births per 1,000 people | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 13.43 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 13.51 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 13.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 12.96 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 12.43 births per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 11.53 births per 1,000 people | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 11.26 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 11.38 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 11.14 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 10.66 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 10.07 births per 1,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 9.7 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 8.99 births per 1,000 people | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 8.3 births per 1,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2017 | 7.45 births per 1,000 people | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 6.14 births per 1,000 people | -17.6% |
| 2019 | 5.92 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 5.73 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 5.79 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 5.75 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 5.82 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 5.82 births per 1,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.6 births per 1,000 people, 61% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 5.82 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 11.84 births per 1,000 people, 49% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.91 births per 1,000 people | 32.37 births per 1,000 people | 39.2 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 29.45 births per 1,000 people | 25.21 births per 1,000 people | 32.22 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 24.2 births per 1,000 people | 23.34 births per 1,000 people | 25.44 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.87 births per 1,000 people | 18.52 births per 1,000 people | 22.73 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.33 births per 1,000 people | 15.73 births per 1,000 people | 18.77 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.28 births per 1,000 people | 11.26 births per 1,000 people | 15.62 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.98 births per 1,000 people | 5.92 births per 1,000 people | 11.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.77 births per 1,000 people | 5.73 births per 1,000 people | 5.82 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More population data for Puerto Rico
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -2.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -30.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -2.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -2.06 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7905 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -2.3% (2100)
- Population density 112.25 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 23,218 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -2.3% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -0.1217 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Puerto Rico?
- Birth rate in Puerto Rico was 5.82 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 39.2 births per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.73 births per 1,000 people in 2020.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for birth rate?
- Puerto Rico ranks 229th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.