Puerto Rico is a US territory in the northeastern Caribbean. Its capital is San Juan.
North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks San Juan; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapPuerto Rico has a mountainous interior surrounded by coastal plains. The northern limestone region contains hills, caves and underground drainage. Smaller offshore islands add coastal settings beyond the main island.
El Yunque occupies a humid mountain environment in the northeast. Northern karst country and drier southern areas offer different landscapes. The central mountains influence rainfall, with exposed slopes generally receiving more moisture than sheltered areas.
Puerto Rico has a warm maritime climate. Temperatures vary relatively little through the year, while elevation and exposure create differences in rainfall.
Forest, mangroves, wetlands and reefs occur in different parts of the territory. Short rivers can rise rapidly after heavy rain. Hurricanes affect both upland catchments and coastal communities, although local exposure varies.
Five equal horizontal bands of red alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the left side has a large five-pointed white star in the center
Forested mountains spread out from the view at Mount Britton tower.
Photo: Šarūnas Burdulis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Limestone hills shape Puerto Rico’s northern interior.
Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Spanish and English are official languages. Spanish is the main language of everyday life for most residents.
English proficiency and use vary by individual, education and workplace. Households differ in how often they use each language.
Taíno communities inhabited Puerto Rico before Spanish colonization. Spain ceded the island to the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. US citizenship was granted to Puerto Ricans in 1917. A 1952 constitution established internal self-government; Puerto Rico remains a US territory, not a state or independent country.
Pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other manufacturing contribute substantially to output and exports. Services, tourism and public administration are also important. Corporate production figures should not be read as the income received by households.
pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2,718,000 | 2.718 |
| 1980 | 3,206,000 | 3.206 |
| 1990 | 3,537,000 | 3.537 |
| 2000 | 3,810,605 | 3.811 |
| 2010 | 3,724,465 | 3.724 |
| 2020 | 3,281,591 | 3.282 |
| 2025 | 3,184,835 | 3.185 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 66,260,903,262 | 66.261 |
| 1991 | 67,787,813,678 | 67.788 |
| 1992 | 70,881,684,618 | 70.882 |
| 1993 | 74,173,803,638 | 74.174 |
| 1994 | 77,278,688,339 | 77.279 |
| 1995 | 80,794,086,619 | 80.794 |
| 1996 | 82,663,425,484 | 82.663 |
| 1997 | 86,697,472,738 | 86.697 |
| 1998 | 91,492,472,088 | 91.492 |
| 1999 | 96,423,641,766 | 96.424 |
| 2000 | 99,578,589,113 | 99.579 |
| 2001 | 105,865,455,033 | 105.865 |
| 2002 | 106,835,668,972 | 106.836 |
| 2003 | 106,892,740,375 | 106.893 |
| 2004 | 116,244,440,860 | 116.244 |
| 2005 | 113,934,735,058 | 113.935 |
| 2006 | 112,328,922,886 | 112.329 |
| 2007 | 111,022,754,695 | 111.023 |
| 2008 | 108,975,346,085 | 108.975 |
| 2009 | 106,847,683,984 | 106.848 |
| 2010 | 106,406,131,529 | 106.406 |
| 2011 | 106,024,654,229 | 106.025 |
| 2012 | 106,055,693,106 | 106.056 |
| 2013 | 105,730,285,957 | 105.730 |
| 2014 | 104,471,711,253 | 104.472 |
| 2015 | 103,375,500,000 | 103.376 |
| 2016 | 102,069,149,649 | 102.069 |
| 2017 | 99,124,231,779 | 99.124 |
| 2018 | 94,801,000,740 | 94.801 |
| 2019 | 96,389,357,184 | 96.389 |
| 2020 | 92,359,439,313 | 92.359 |
| 2021 | 92,715,228,857 | 92.715 |
| 2022 | 95,456,906,861 | 95.457 |
| 2023 | 96,155,166,599 | 96.155 |
| 2024 | 99,210,088,885 | 99.210 |
| 2025 | 99,525,249,620 | 99.525 |
An unincorporated US territory with internal self-government. An elected Governor leads the executive, and a Legislative Assembly has a Senate and House of Representatives. Puerto Rico is subject to US federal authority and elects a Resident Commissioner with limited voting rights in Congress.
Three questions about Puerto Rico.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
