PMC in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is approximately a quarter of the size of Switzerland with a population of over three million people. Puerto Rico has been stuck in recession for about eight years. It has $70 billion in outstanding debt and continues to receive about $20 billion in U.S. federal funds each year. Fifty percent of Puerto Ricans survive off of public assistance and the unemployment rate is a staggering 14 percent.

Drug use is also high, which has helped to fuel the homicide rate. About 26.2 out of 100,000 individuals are killed on the small Caribbean island – similar to homicide rates in the Dominican Republic and Mexico. In comparison to the mainland United States where 4.7 residents out of 100,000 are murdered each year.