Puerto Rico's population is around 3.2 million on the island itself, with another 6 million or so Puerto Ricans living on the U.S. mainland — a diaspora that reflects decades of migration driven by economic opportunity. The island's population has been declining steadily, accelerated by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and subsequent emigration.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, but the island has its own distinct identity shaped by centuries of Spanish colonial rule, African heritage from the era of slavery, and the indigenous Taíno people whose influence persists in language, food, and place names. The resulting culture — boricua culture, from the Taíno name for the island — is proud, creative, and often fiercely independent, regardless of how residents vote on the recurring question of statehood.
The two official languages are Spanish and English. Spanish dominates daily life everywhere outside the main tourist zones. In San Juan and popular beach areas you'll get by in English easily; in smaller towns and rural areas, Spanish is essential and warmly appreciated when you make the effort.
The majority of Puerto Ricans are Roman Catholic, and the calendar is dotted with religious festivals — the fiestas patronales in honor of each town's patron saint are a genuine expression of community life, not tourist spectacle.