Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 80.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico stood at 80.9%.
The figure is down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico peaked at 84.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 69.7%, in 1950.
That places Puerto Rico 77th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 69.7% | — |
| 1955 | 70.6% | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 71.2% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 73.0% | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 74.5% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 76.2% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 78.1% | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 80.7% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 82.2% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 83.4% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 84.1% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 83.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 82.6% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 80.9% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 70.1% | 69.7% | 70.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 72.1% | 71.2% | 73.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 75.3% | 74.5% | 76.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 79.4% | 78.1% | 80.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 82.8% | 82.2% | 83.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 84.0% | 83.9% | 84.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 83.1% | 82.6% | 83.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 80.9% | 80.9% | 80.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
- 74 Montenegro 81.8% compare
- 75 Chile 81.8% compare
- 76 Colombia 81.5% compare
- 78 Brunei Darussalam 80.8% compare
- 79 Nigeria 80.6% compare
- 80 San Marino 80.5% compare
More reference data data for Puerto Rico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2501 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1709 (2050)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.4659 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2752 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 974.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.7966 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 0.0793 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 0.0077 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 0.0011 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Puerto Rico was 80.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 84.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.7% in 1950.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Puerto Rico ranks 77th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.