Puerto Rico
Deep-built32.4% circumcision prevalence
Prevalence of non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Research coverage
A transparent snapshot of what this file currently contains.
8
Sources · Citations
4
Verifications · Independent
0
Structured claims · Evidence-based
Jul 9, 2026
Last updated · deep-built
Research note: Puerto Rico DEEP_BUILT 2026-07-13. CRITICAL CORRECTION: Morris 2016's official 0.14% figure is almost certainly unreliable/artifactual and is EXPLICITLY NOT used as the primary indicator - a real 2012 clinic study (Rodriguez-Diaz et al., J Sex Med, San Juan STI clinic, n=660) found 32.4% circumcised, ~230x higher, confirmed 3-0. This is a clinic sample not a general-population survey, so 32.4% is presented as best-available evidence not a precise national rate. DISTINCTIVE: Puerto Rico sits in a genuinely INTERMEDIATE position between mainland-US (~71-80%) and Latin American (~10-30%) norms, consistent with its dual Hispanic-Catholic/US-medical-system identity. Puerto Rico-specific statute (distinct from general US federal Medicaid rules) explicitly sought, NOT found (honest gap). No verified harm case (honest gap). HIV ~0.57% (572.6/100,000 adults+adolescents, 2016 CDC Surveillance Report; a separate PR Dept of Health count found 18,117 PLHIV/567 per 100,000 total pop at year-end 2018) - historically elevated PWID-driven San Juan epidemic; no update beyond 2016-18 verifiable (CDC AtlasPlus/2022 report inaccessible), so treat as dated not current. UNREGULATED. NOT VMMC priority. Sources #1518-1525. SECOND of Batch 5.
Research claims
Short, testable claims backed by evidence and categorised for clarity.
No structured research claims have been added for Puerto Rico yet.
Legal status
UnregulatedThis research did not locate a Puerto Rico-specific statute addressing non-therapeutic male circumcision, distinct from general US federal Medicaid/insurance coverage rules that apply territory-wide. This research did not independently verify Puerto Rico's female genital mutilation legal status either. Female genital mutilation is a separate matter and must not be conflated with male circumcision.
Medical & HIV context
0.57%
Adult HIV prevalence
CDC (2016) · Adults 15–49
mixed
Circumcision in newborns
Non-therapeutic (cultural practice)
infancy (hospital)
Typical age
Benchmarks are international context — not a local complication rate.
Incident registry
No verified incidents are currently recorded for Puerto Rico.
This absence should not be read as proof that harm does not occur — only that no verified, sourced case has been documented in this database yet.