The United
States Census Bureau estimates that the population of
Puerto Rico was 3,667,084 on July 1, 2012, a -1.6% decrease since the 2010
United States Census.[6]
From 2000 to 2010, the population decreased, the first such decrease in census
history for Puerto Rico. It went from the 3,808,610 residents registered in the
2000 Census to 3,725,789 in the 2010 Census.[154]
A declining and aging population presents additional problems for the society.
The Census Bureau has noted that "76,218 people residing in the U.S. last
year lived in Puerto Rico one year earlier."[154]
Continuous European immigration during the 19th century helped the population grow from 155,000 in 1800 to almost a million at the close of the century. A census conducted by royal decree on September 30, 1858 gives the following totals of the Puerto Rican population at this time: 341,015 as Free colored; 300,430 identified as Whites; and 41,736 were slaves.[155]
During the 19th century hundreds of
Corsican, French, Lebanese, Chinese, and Portuguese
families arrived in Puerto Rico, along with large numbers of immigrants from
Spain (mainly from Catalonia, Asturias, Galicia,
the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, and the Canary Islands)
and numerous Spanish loyalists from Spain's former colonies in South America.
Other settlers included Irish, Scots,
Germans, Italians
and thousands others who were granted land by Spain during the Real Cedula
de Gracias de 1815 ("Royal Decree of Graces of 1815"),
which allowed European Catholics to settle in the island with land allotments
in the interior of the island, provided they agreed to pay taxes and continue
to support the Catholic Church.
Between 1960 and 1990, the census
questionnaire in Puerto Rico did not ask about race or ethnicity. However, the 2000
United States Census included a racial
self-identification question in Puerto Rico. According to the census, most
Puerto Ricans self-identified as White and few declared themselves to be Black
or some other race.[156]
A recent study conducted in Puerto Rico suggests
that around 52.6%-84% of the population possess Amerindian mtDNA, along with other ancestry.
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