Why Puerto Rico is so poor

Despite being controlled by the US for more than a century, Puerto Rico has never been granted full statehood. It is classed as a territory, meaning the island is allowed to be governed in a totally different way to the other 50 states in the US.

While people from Puerto Rico are classed as US citizens, they are not allowed to vote in US elections, including for the President. Only Congress has true jurisdiction over territories, something the territories cannot change themselves. They have no vote for senators.

44 percent of Puerto Ricans live in poverty, far higher than any state in the US.

Comments are closed.