EIU Puerto Rico Country Profile 2008 
Population                                                 

•  Population growth is slowing and the average age is rising. According to 2007 estimates from the US Census Bureau, the population, which is primarily Spanish-speaking, but often bilingual in English and Spanish, stands at around 3.94m. Between 1980 and 1990, population growth averaged slightly more than 1% per year, but fell to an annual average of 0.4% in 2003-07,according to US census estimates. Part of the slowdown in population growth
has been the result of emigration to the US, but there has also been a decline in fertility rates, with the average number of children per woman falling from 3 in the 1970s to around 1.8 currently. As a result, the population is ageing. The United Nations (UN) estimates that 22% of the population was under 15 in 2005, 61% was aged between 15 and 59, and 17% was over 60. By 2050, it forecasts that 16% of the population will be under 15, 54% between 15 and 59 and 30% over 60.

•  Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. With an average of 429 people per sq km, Puerto Rico is far more densely populated than any of the 50 US states. Over the past four decades, the island has been transformed from a traditional agrarian country into a modern industrial society. Consequently, there is a high degree of urbanisation, with the capital, San Juan, and its suburbs accounting for around one-third of the population.

•  There has been large-scale migration to the US. Current estimates suggest that around 2m Puerto Ricans have migrated to the US over the last century. Although migration continues to this day, the majority of Puerto Ricans now living on the mainland are descended from migrants, but were born in the US. The highest concentration of Puerto Rican migrants and their descendants is
in New York, although there are also large numbers living in Florida, Chicago and Philadelphia. Puerto Ricans resident in the US compose around 10% of the US Latino population. Migrant remittances were important from the 1940s to the 1960s, but ceased to play a role in the economy as living standards improved.

•  Life expectancy is rising. According to data from the CIA World Factbook, life expectancy at birth increased to 74.6 years for men and 82.7 years for women in 2008, up from 71.1 years (men) and 80.3 years (women) in 2000. This compares favourably on both a regional and international level; at a current average of 78.6 years, life expectancy in Puerto Rico is higher than in the US (78.1
years) and in most of its Caribbean neighbours. In the CIA!s global ranking, Puerto Rico is ranked 41st out of 223 countries for life expectancy.
source: Economist Intelligence Unit

2005 Latin America and the Caribbean Selected Economic and Social Data

The 2005 edition of Latin America and the Caribbean: Selected Economic and Social Data (the LAC Databook), includes the most recent data at the time of publication from a multitude of international and national sources. The Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the US Agency for International Development presents this Databook with the goal of gathering and presenting the most up-to-date information possible from official country sources and leading international institutions."
Source:USAID