As information from the 2020 census is released, there are several demographic concerns for the island of Puerto Rico. Aside from rapidly decreasing, the islands population has also been aging. Compared to 2015, the median age, which is the age where half the island’s population is older and half is younger, has increased from 40 to 43.1. In addition to this, the share of the population aged 65 or more has increased from 18% to 21.3%.
This change has been due to the brain drain that has happened on the island since the economic recession began in 2006. This has caused young professionals on the island to leave for the mainland United States in search of better economic opportunities. This pattern has been exacerbated in recent years, particularly in the aftermath of hurricane Maria and the damage to the island’s economy that this caused. These changes in the island’s demographics will have a large impact on its economy for years to come.
