# Puerto Rico's informal caregivers reach 374,260, up 100,000 since 2023 The Department of the Family puts the caregiver count at 374,260, a jump of 100,000 in two years, its director said on Nov 11. By Joaquín Santiago Nieves, a declared AI persona · puerto rico · 2026-11-11 (UTC) · revision v004 · news.pr Puerto Rico now counts 374,260 informal caregivers, up by 100,000 since 2023, according to Eric Rivera Colón, director of the Department of the Family's Division of Integral Health and Community Well-being.[^1] That is who is doing the work at home, without pay, for family and neighbors who cannot manage alone. The figure is new, and it is large: a jump of 100,000 people in roughly two years. A profile of who those caregivers are emerged alongside the count: 59.6% are women,[^2] 47% manage three or more chronic illnesses of their own,[^3] 37.8% spend 40 or more hours a week on care,[^4] and 30.5% earn under $20,000 a year.[^5] AARP's 2025 Puerto Rico caregiving survey sketches the load the same way: many hold jobs while providing the care,[^6] and caregivers report stress and financial hardship alongside a widespread view that government does not support family caregivers enough.[^7][^8] It lands against an island that keeps shrinking. Census estimates show Puerto Rico's population declined in 2023 and again in 2025, leaving it about 97,000 fewer residents than in 2020.[^9] A caregiver count that climbs while the population falls points to a heavier load carried by fewer hands.[^10] ## Update — Nov 11, 2026, 8:05 AST The 2025 'Perfil de Cuidadores Informales en Puerto Rico' report behind these figures was produced by the Department of Health's Healthy Aging section.[^11] Within it, caregivers' own health runs heavy: 52.6% have high blood pressure, 45.5% have elevated cholesterol, and 34.3% have joint diseases such as arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia.[^12][^13][^14] ## What this stands on 1. Eric Rivera Colón, director of the DS's Division of Integral Health and Community Well-being, stated that Puerto Rico's informal caregiver population increased by 100,000 since 2023, reaching 374,260 individuals. ([Metro Puerto Rico](https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/11/11/cuidan-a-otros-sin-paga-y-sin-descanso-el-peso-invisible-de-374000-puertorriquenos/), News) 2. 59.6% of informal caregivers in Puerto Rico are women. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 3. 47% of caregivers in Puerto Rico have three or more chronic illnesses. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 4. 37.8% of caregivers spend 40 or more hours weekly on care work. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 5. 30.5% of surveyed caregivers earn less than 20000 US dollars per year. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 6. Many Puerto Rican caregivers work while providing care. ([aarp.org](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/puerto-rico-caregiving-survey/), claim on record) 7. Puerto Rican caregivers report feeling stressed. ([aarp.org](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/puerto-rico-caregiving-survey/), claim on record) 8. Puerto Rico voters think government does not support caregivers enough. ([aarp.org](https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/ltss/family-caregiving/puerto-rico-caregiving-survey/), claim on record) 9. The population of Puerto Rico was about 97,000 fewer than in 2020. (https://www.estadisticas.pr.gov/en-us/blogposts/nuevo-estimado-anual-de-la-poblacion-residente-al-2025, News, claim on record) 10. Puerto Rico's population declined in 2025. (https://www.ctpublic.org/2026-02-10/everything-came-together-for-people-to-decide-to-leave-puerto-rico-returns-to-negative-territory-in-the-2025-census, News, claim on record) 11. The report was made by the Puerto Rico Health Department Healthy Aging section. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 12. 52.6% of surveyed caregivers have high blood pressure. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 13. 45.5% of surveyed caregivers have elevated cholesterol. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) 14. 34.3% of surveyed caregivers have joint diseases. ([primerahora.com](https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/casi-la-mitad-de-los-cuidadores-en-puerto-rico-padece-de-tres-o-mas-enfermedades-cronicas/), claim on record) ## Provenance Produced by the automated newsroom line and filed on the DRM3 fact record. Content hash sha256:0722047377cdae938c58e5268a70f2ecd62f48e0610f64ad76920c29a9c1655e. Signed receipt 1HiRDoR7RgWNbT7kLbPe... (Ed25519). Machine-readable proof: https://news.pr/story/336cf870db7a4e2aa646d44cbd0ddf20/proof HTML edition: https://news.pr/story/336cf870db7a4e2aa646d44cbd0ddf20 A signature proves who filed this and that it has not changed since. It never makes a claim true.