San Juan — The last time Puerto Rico saw this many people — especially young people — considering leaving the island was in the wake of Hurricane María in 2017 and the 2019 earthquakes. That’s the sobering benchmark Richard Valdés, chair of MIDA’s Consumer Radiography Committee, offered Tuesday as he presented findings from the trade group’s latest annual study.
The Radiografía del Consumidor 2026 found that 33% of survey respondents have considered leaving Puerto Rico within the next one to three years, driven by economic conditions or dissatisfaction with the state of the country. The generational breakdown tells the starkest story: 57% of those considering departure belong to Gen Z (ages 18–27), followed by Millennials (28–42) at 37%, Gen X (43–58) at 30%, and Baby Boomers (59–77) at 22%.
“I think the most important thing here is to understand the generational dimension — a group as young as Gen Z saying in such high numbers ‘I am considering leaving to find a better quality of life’ is something that we as an industry and as a country need to figure out how to address,” said Valdés. “You see it across every graph; it didn’t come out of nowhere.”
He noted that while emigration spikes made sense in the context of María or the earthquakes, their re-emergence without an acute disaster is more alarming. “At this moment, for it to resurface — that’s something we need to confront.”
MIDA Executive Vice President Manuel Reyes Alfonso put it bluntly from the business side: “There’s no doubt it concerns us. If there are fewer mouths, we sell less food.”
The Ozempic Diet Is Already Reshaping the Grocery Cart
The study also tracked a meaningful uptick in GLP-1 weight-loss drug use, with 8% of respondents reporting they currently take medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, or similar drugs. For Diana Rodríguez, who led the study, this is not a trend — it’s a permanent shift in the consumer landscape.
“Studies have proven this is not a fad, this is not a trend — it’s here to stay. And not only that, it’s going to evolve,” said Rodríguez. “You’ve now heard the term ‘Ozempic Diet’ — what you need to buy, what you need to eat to avoid the side effects of these medications. And I want to be clear: I’m not talking about a high-end consumer. I’m talking about consumers who, within their means, are actively looking for ways to take care of themselves.”
She added that the shift reflects a broader economic logic: people are cutting back on processed foods, sugar, and other items linked to chronic disease in an effort to reduce long-term medical costs.
“We have a consumer who wants everything related to wellness — and you’d be surprised not just by who answered this, or their age range. I’m not talking about fitness enthusiasts who live at the gym. I’m talking about people like you and me,” she said.
Spending Down, Outlook Grim
On the economic front, grocery spending fell 5%, or $19 per month, while household product spending dropped $18 — a 14% decline. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) described Puerto Rico’s current economic situation as bad or very bad, and 54% expect it to be somewhat worse or worse a year from now.
