The decline in the island’s foreign-born population was reflected in the decrease in the foreign-born civilian employed population, which also fell by over 12,000 between 2008-2012 and 2018-2022.

Although a greater share (55.7%) of immigrants 16 years and over were in the labor force compared to the corresponding native-born population (44.5%), the proportion of the foreign-born not working or looking for employment rose from 36.5% in 2008-2012 to 44.3% in 2018-2022.

Such shifts were not surprising given how the foreign-born population in Puerto Rico has aged over the decade.

The median age of the foreign-born population increased by over 6 years to 53.9 (from 47.7 in 2008-2012), making the foreign-born older than the native-born population (median age 43.4). In addition, the age distribution of the foreign-born population shifted: both younger adult age groups narrowed and older adult age groups grew significantly between these data periods (Figure 2).

Two factors affected the age of the foreign-born population: whether immigrants who came to Puerto Rico stayed (and aged there) and whether more recent arrivals left. Estimates of immigrants by region of birth and period of entry shed some light on this.

Most immigrants in Puerto Rico were born in Latin America (92.3 %) and the Caribbean was the dominant subregion of birth (Figure 3).

The largest foreign-born groups in Puerto Rico were from the Dominican Republic (58.5%) and Cuba (11.2%). Due to their proximity to the island, these countries have a long history of large migratory flows to Puerto Rico (Table 1).

A significant chunk was also from South America (14.6%) and Central America (6.6%), followed by those born in Europe (4.0%) and Asia (3.0%). Top countries of birth from these Latin American subregions included Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru.

While the foreign-born population was roughly split between those entering Puerto Rico before 2000 (54.5%) and those entering in 2000 or later (45.5%), there were wide variations by region and subregion of birth.

Around 75% of the immigrants who arrived before 2000 were born in the Caribbean (Figure 4). However, net flows from this subregion fell in more recent periods of entry.

The estimate of the Caribbean-born who arrived before 1990 (24,108) was about double the estimate of those who entered in any subsequent period of entry (Figure 5). Later estimates plateaued under 14,000, suggesting net flows from the Caribbean to Puerto Rico slowed in recent decades.

As a result, the number of foreign-born who arrived in 2000 or later was smaller than the number that arrived earlier. The Caribbean-born continued to account for the majority of recent arrivals but to a smaller degree than among earlier arrivals.

However, this drop was partially offset by a rise in the foreign-born from South America. The estimate of immigrants born in South America who entered Puerto Rico in 2000 or later was 1.9 times larger than the estimated number that entered before 2000 (Figure 4).

Learn more about Puerto Rico by exploring datasets and resources covering a wide array of topics such as population, demographics, income and employment, housing, businesses and the economy at www.census.gov/geographies/island-areas/puerto-rico.html.