Demographics of Puerto Rico

Immigration route to Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico's population is a mix of Europeans, indigenous Tainos, and Africans to a lesser extent; with a good presence of Asians.

According to the census, the largest racial group is whites, followed by mestizos, and followed to a lesser extent by blacks. The majority of the white and mestizo population of Puerto Rico are descendants of Spaniards, especially from the Canary Islands and Andalusia, who mostly colonized the island, later joined by numerous Corsicans, Italians, French, Portuguese, and German immigrants. Some Puerto Ricans are of Danish and Irish descent, as a crossbreed between families from Puerto Rico and others from the neighboring Virgin Islands. It has been verified that these same whites carry, although also in different degrees, the Taíno Amerindian lineage, who were the first settlers. In second place (20.9%) were mestizos, of European and indigenous blood, and mulattoes, of European and sub-Saharan African blood. Closely followed are the descendants of black Africans (8%) brought to the island as slaves during the 16th–19th centuries; among them from the Yoruba, Bantu and Bongolese ethnic groups of West Africa.

There is also an Asian minority, around 5% to 20% of the population, they generally come from China, Japan and Korea.

It is scientifically proven by DNA studies that more than 61% of Puerto Ricans carry Amerindian genes through their mothers. Another high percentage carries European genes but through the paternal route, thus passing the Negroid heritage to a third place. While a study carried out ensures that 20% of Puerto Ricans carry Asian blood, mainly of Japanese descent.

An important part of Puerto Ricans live outside their country; where they have immigrated the most since the 1960s is to the United States, concentrating mainly in New York City and its surroundings; also in other states like Florida and California. As a second option, they have also immigrated to Spain, especially the Canary Islands and Madrid, followed to a lesser extent by countries such as Canada, France and the Philippines, among others.

Statistics

Population: 3,916,632 (July 2005 est.)

Men: 1,881,460

Women: 2,035,172

Ternary age:

0-14 years:

22% (men 441,594; women 421,986)

15-64 years:

65.5% (men 1,228,583; women 1,337,066)

65 years and older:

12.4% (211,283 men; 276,120 women) (2005 est.)