Davao Oriental Posted Nearly Half a Million Population (Results from the 2007 Census of Population)

Reference Number:

2009-105

Release Date:

Friday, November 6, 2009

Households increased by 13,651

Davao Oriental, one of the four provinces and one highly urbanized city comprising the Davao Region registered a total population of 486,104 persons as of August 1, 2007. This figure is higher by 39,913 persons over the Census 2000 count of 446,191 persons. The recent population count for the province translates to an average annual growth rate of 1.19 percent for the period 2000 to 2007, which is a slight decrease from 1.64 percent registered for the period 1995 to 2000. Correspondingly, the number of households reached 100,220, which is 13,651 households more than the Census 2000 figure. The POPCEN 2007 result also indicates an average household size of 4.8 persons, which is comparatively lower than the Census 2000 average household size of 5.2 persons.

Provincial capital was the most populated city/municipality

Among the 10 municipalities and one city in Davao Oriental, City of Mati (the provincial capital) was the most populous with a population of 122,046 persons, sharing 25.1 percent of the provincial total. This municipality was followed by Lupon (12.4 percent), Baganga (10 percent), and Governor Generoso (9.6 percent). The rest of the municipalities had a share of less than 8 percent each, while the least populous was municipality of Boston with 2.3 percent share.

Males dominated the household population

Of the 485.2 thousand household population of Davao Oriental, 52 percent were males and 48 percent were females. Outnumbering their female counterparts, males registered a sex ratio of 108 males for every 100 females in the latest census, which is slightly higher than the Census 2000 sex ratio of 106.

Half of the population of Davao Oriental were below 20 years old

The household population of Davao Oriental had a median age of 20 years, which means that half of the household population were below 20 years old. The latest median age for the province was 1 year higher than the median age recorded in Census 2000 (19 years old).

Majority of the voting population were males

More than half (54.6 percent) of the household population of Davao Oriental comprised the voting-age population (18 years old and over). The distribution of voting population by sex, 52.4 percent of the voting-age population were males compared to 47.6 percent of females.

Dependency ratios in POPCEN 2007 is 75.1

The age structure of Davao Oriental population is a typical broad base at the bottom consisting of large numbers of children and a narrow top made up of relatively small number of elderly�s. The proportion of working-age group (15 - 64 years old) to household population was 57.1 percent, while the proportion for young dependents (0 - 14 years old) was 38.5 percent. The old dependents (65 years and over) accounted for 4.4 percent of the population.

The overall dependency ratio for the POPCEN 2007 was 75.1, slightly lower than Census 2000 ratio of 76.8, which implies that every 100 persons in the working-age group had to support 67.5 young dependents and 7.6 old dependents.

Married persons comprised almost half of the household population 10 years and over

Almost half (44.8 percent) of the household population 10 years old and over were married while 44 percent were single. The marital status of the rest of the population was either widowed, divorced/separated, common law/live-in, or unknown. Males accounted for 57.4 percent of the total single persons while females, 42.6 percent. Females predominate in the rest of the categories for marital status.

In Census 2000, the proportion of single persons (44.7 percent) was almost equal to the proportion for married persons (45.1 percent).

More females were inclined to pursue higher levels of education

Of the household population 5 years old and over, 51.1 percent attended/finished elementary education. Although lower than the 55.4 percent recorded for Census 2000, the POPCEN 2007 percentage implies a 26 percent increase in high school attendance, which is higher than the 23 percent registered for Census 2000.

The females outmatched the males in attendance to higher levels of education. Females constituted the majority (60.1 percent) of the academic degree holders, while the males, 39.9 percent. Moreover, more than half (57.4 percent) of the population who took/finished the post baccalaureate level were females.

For the household population 5 to 24 years old, 62.3 percent attended school at anytime during School Year 2007 to 2008. The proportion of males (49.8 percent) and females (50.2 percent) in school attendance were almost equal.

Number of occupied housing units increased in the latest census

From a total of 84,765 occupied housing units in Census 2000, the number of occupied housing units reached 98,786 in POPCEN 2007, showing an increase of 16.5 percentage points. This growth translates to 101 households for every 100 occupied housing units, or 4.9 persons per occupied housing unit, which is slightly lower than the Census 2000 figure of 5.3 persons per occupied housing unit.

Most occupied housing units were made of strong materials

A significant improvement in the materials used for the roof occurred in POPCEN 2007 as the proportion of houses with roof made of galvanized iron/aluminum increased by 12.9 percentage difference, or from 34.9 percent in Census 2000 to 47.8 percent during the recent census. On the other hand, the proportion of occupied housing units with roof made of cogon/nipa/anahaw dropped by 6.8 percentage difference, from 53.7 percent in Census 2000 to 46.9 percent in POPCEN 2007.

Meanwhile, almost half (47.8 percent) of the occupied housing units in Davao Oriental used a combination of galvanized iron/aluminum for the roof and concrete/brick/stone for the outer walls.

Majority of lots in Davao Oriental were owned/being amortized/owner-like possession

The latest census showed that lots under the tenure status of owned/being amortized/owner-like shared 55 percent of the lots used for the houses of the households. Furthermore, lots under rent-free with consent of the owner shared 35.3 percent, while lots rented by the households shared 7.8 percent. In Census 2000, about 49 percent of the lots in Davao Oriental were under owned/amortized/owner-like possession, 34.1 percent under rent-free with consent of the owner, and 9.7 percent were rented by the households.