Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 626,315 people in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
626,315 people
World rank
142nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
706,684 people
in 1975
All-time low
605,408 people
in 2000
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico, 1950–2020

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1950198520201950: 675.8k people1955: 677.1k people1960: 680.5k people1965: 690.0k people1970: 697.3k people1975: 706.7k people1980: 703.4k people1985: 656.8k people1990: 628.9k people1995: 613.0k people2000: 605.4k people2005: 608.7k people2010: 610.4k people2015: 614.4k people2020: 626.3k people

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico is 626,315 people, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico peaked at 706,684 people in 1975 and was at its lowest, 605,408 people, in 2000.

Puerto Rico ranks 142nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico, year by year

Annual values for Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico, 1950 to 2020.
Year people Change
1950 675,786 people
1955 677,143 people +0.2%
1960 680,533 people +0.5%
1965 690,027 people +1.4%
1970 697,284 people +1.1%
1975 706,684 people +1.3%
1980 703,449 people -0.5%
1985 656,843 people -6.6%
1990 628,928 people -4.2%
1995 613,014 people -2.5%
2000 605,408 people -1.2%
2005 608,734 people +0.5%
2010 610,400 people +0.3%
2015 614,425 people +0.7%
2020 626,315 people +1.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 676,464 people 675,786 people 677,143 people 2
1960s 685,280 people 680,533 people 690,027 people 2
1970s 701,984 people 697,284 people 706,684 people 2
1980s 680,146 people 656,843 people 703,449 people 2
1990s 620,971 people 613,014 people 628,928 people 2
2000s 607,071 people 605,408 people 608,734 people 2
2010s 612,412 people 610,400 people 614,425 people 2
2020s 626,315 people 626,315 people 626,315 people 1

Countries ranked near Puerto Rico

  1. 139 Timor-Leste 671,378 people compare
  2. 140 Armenia 665,250 people compare
  3. 141 Gambia 632,697 people compare
  4. 143 Lebanon 591,690 people compare
  5. 144 Solomon Islands 581,600 people compare
  6. 145 Israel 566,527 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Puerto Rico

All data for Puerto Rico →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico?
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico was 626,315 people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Puerto Rico?
The highest recorded value was 706,684 people in 1975.
What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Puerto Rico?
The lowest recorded value was 605,408 people in 2000.
How does Puerto Rico rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
Puerto Rico ranks 142nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Puerto Rico. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-cities-towns-and-villages/puerto-rico-us/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Unit
people
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.