Puerto Rico’s economy continued to expand in late 2025

Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard

By THE STAR STAFF

Puerto Rico’s economy continued to expand toward the end of 2025, supported by stronger cement sales, gasoline consumption and nonfarm payroll employment, according to the latest Economic Activity Index (EAI) figures released by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its acronym in Spanish).

“The most recent results of the Economic Activity Index confirm that the economic development strategies we are implementing at the Department of Economic Development and Commerce are having a real and measurable impact on Puerto Rico’s economy,” DDEC Secretary Sebastián Negrón Reichard said in a written statement.

The index reached 127.9 points in October 2025 and 128.1 points in November 2025, seasonally adjusted. Compared with the same months in 2024, the EAI rose 0.2 percent in October and 0.8 percent in November, the agency reported.

Three of the index’s four components increased in November. Cement sales climbed 6.4% from October, gasoline consumption rose 4.2% and nonfarm payroll employment edged up 0.2%. Only electricity generation declined, falling 0.6% month‑to‑month.

On a year‑over‑year basis, the gains were even more pronounced in key sectors. Cement sales surged 17.0% in November, gasoline consumption increased 10.4% and nonfarm payroll employment grew 0.9%. Electricity generation, however, continued to lag, posting a 2.2% annual decline.

Negrón Reichard also disclosed that DDEC has launched a technical review of the electricity‑generation component used in the index after determining that official data do not capture generation from residential solar systems or industrial cogeneration.