Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) was -0.0% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Puerto Rico, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Puerto Rico recorded -0.0% for population growth in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 97.0% on the previous year and up 98.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Puerto Rico peaked at 2.2% in 1973 and was at its lowest, -3.6%, in 2018.
Puerto Rico ranks 177th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1.3% | — |
| 1971 | 1.6% | +28.7% |
| 1972 | 2.0% | +22.4% |
| 1973 | 2.2% | +9.5% |
| 1974 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 1.7% | -10.4% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -11.5% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -6.3% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | -4.7% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -5.6% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 1.0% | -2.9% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 0.9% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 0.9% | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 0.7% | -20.5% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | -8.8% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +30.5% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | +10.3% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | +21.4% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -17.2% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | -38.1% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -12.9% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -44.8% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -22.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -39.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | -51.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -67.3% |
| 2005 | -0.1% | -805.0% |
| 2006 | -0.4% | +193.6% |
| 2007 | -0.6% | +38.3% |
| 2008 | -0.6% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | -0.5% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | -0.4% | -21.7% |
| 2011 | -0.8% | +95.7% |
| 2012 | -0.9% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | -0.8% | -7.9% |
| 2014 | -1.3% | +58.3% |
| 2015 | -1.4% | +8.9% |
| 2016 | -1.6% | +11.4% |
| 2017 | -2.0% | +29.4% |
| 2018 | -3.6% | +77.5% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -110.2% |
| 2020 | -0.6% | -276.1% |
| 2021 | -0.6% | -10.0% |
| 2022 | -1.3% | +127.7% |
| 2023 | -0.5% | -61.3% |
| 2024 | -0.0% | -97.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's -0.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%. (85 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's -0.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5%. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Puerto Rico changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -805.0% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | -276.1% | 0.4% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | -193.6% | -0.1% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.2% | -0.6% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.2% | -3.6% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.6% | -1.3% | -0.0% | 5 |
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)
- Population growth rate -2.26 (2100)
- Population density 112.25 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 23,218 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -2.26 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.0918 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Puerto Rico?
- Population growth in Puerto Rico was -0.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1973.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.6% in 2018.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for population growth?
- Puerto Rico ranks 177th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 98.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release