Population in the largest city in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Population in the largest city was 81.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
81.0%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
5th
of 153 countries
All-time high
81.0%
in 2025
All-time low
57.1%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Puerto Rico, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Puerto Rico stood at 81.0%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Puerto Rico peaked at 81.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 57.1%, in 1960.
That places Puerto Rico 5th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 57.1% | — |
| 1961 | 57.6% | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 57.6% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 57.4% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 57.1% | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 57.1% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 57.2% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 57.7% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 58.3% | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 58.9% | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 59.3% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 59.1% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 58.7% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 58.3% | -0.7% |
| 1974 | 57.9% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 57.7% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 57.7% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 57.7% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 57.8% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 57.9% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 58.5% | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 60.4% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 62.3% | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 64.3% | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 66.2% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 68.2% | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 70.2% | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 72.3% | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 74.6% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 76.9% | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 78.4% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 76.8% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 75.5% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 74.1% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 72.9% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 71.8% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 70.7% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 70.0% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 69.7% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 69.6% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 69.7% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 69.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 69.4% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 69.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 69.3% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 69.4% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 69.6% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 70.0% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 70.4% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 70.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 71.0% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 71.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 72.0% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 72.5% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 73.4% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 74.3% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 75.3% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 76.8% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 79.4% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 79.4% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 79.7% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 80.6% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 80.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 80.7% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 81.0% | +0.3% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 81.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.2%, 2.9× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 81.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 35.8%, 2.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 57.6% | 57.1% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 58.2% | 57.7% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.4% | 58.5% | 76.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.0% | 69.6% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.7% | 69.3% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.5% | 71.0% | 79.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.4% | 79.4% | 81.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More urban development data for Puerto Rico
- Population density 361.19 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 7.84 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.7641 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 2.43 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual -0.1207 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 275.04 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 2.43 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 3.7% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Puerto Rico?
- Population in the largest city in Puerto Rico was 81.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 81.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.1% in 1960.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for population in the largest city?
- Puerto Rico ranks 5th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.