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Number: 2002-44
Date Released: April 22, 2002
Ilocos Sur’s Population Growth Rate Doubled After 5 Years
(Results from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, NSO)

Population growth rate increased to 1.85

The province of Ilocos Sur recorded a total population of 594,206 persons in the 2000 Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000). The figure was higher by 48,821 persons over the 1995 census results. This registered a 1.85 annual growth rate, which was twice as much as that of 1995 (0.90 percent). A corresponding ten percent increase on the number of households was also observed, from 108,329 households in 1995 to 119,212 households in 2000. This resulted to an average household size of 4.98 persons, slightly lower than the 5.03 average household size recorded in 1995.

Vigan was next to Candon in terms of population size

Among the thirty-two municipalities of Ilocos Sur, Candon had the largest population comprising 8.51 percent of the total population. Vigan, the provincial capital, had a share of 7.60 percent, followed by Narvacan with 6.47 percent. Santa Cruz and Tagudin ranked fourth and fifth, both accounting for 5.79 percent. On the other hand, Sigay, Sugpon and Lidlida had the smallest population with less than 0.6 percent each.

More than half of the population were below 24 years old

The province had a median age of 24 years, higher than the 1995 median age of 23 years.

The province had almost the same number of males and females, 297,017 and 297,189, respectively. This figure resulted to a sex ratio of 99.94. There were more males in the age group 0 to 44 years, while more females in the 45 years and above age group.

Two-thirds belonged to economically active group

Economically active population aged 15 to 64 years comprised more than 61 percent of the population. Young dependents, aged 0 to 14 comprised 32.1 percent while 6.8 percent as old dependents aged 65 years and above. Thus, the overall dependency ratio was 63.76, lower than the 1995 ratio of 70.46.

More females pursued higher education

Among the household population aged five years old and over, 40.68 percent had attended/ completed elementary education, 30.20 percent high school and 5.68 percent post secondary education. Academic degree holders comprised 5.10 percent while 10.08 percent were college undergraduates. Less than one percent (0.33) pursued post-baccalaureate studies. There were more males than females among those who had attended or finished elementary (50.74 percent) and high school (51.99 percent). On the other hand, there were more females who had attended/completed post-secondary courses (51.78 percent), were college undergraduates (52.74 percent), were academic degree holders (62.28 percent), and attended/completed post baccalaureate courses (65.14 percent).

Ilocanos comprised 92.9 percent of the household population

In Ilocos Sur, 92.9 percent of the household population classified themselves as Ilocanos. The rest were either Kankanai/Kankaney/Kankanaey (2.9 percent), Itneg (0.9 percent), Tagalog (0.6 percent) or belonged to other ethnic groups (2.7 percent).

Proportion of married individuals down by 1.39 percentage points

Of the total population aged 10 years and over, married persons comprised 46.13 percent, lower by 1.39 percentage points than the 1995 figure (47.52). Single persons, widowed and with other arrangements constituted 44.33 percent, 5.68 percent and 2.40 percent, respectively. Separated/divorced persons constituted 0.72 percent, higher than the 0.45 percent recorded in 1995.

Almost a 100 percent occupancy rate

In Ilocos Sur, there were 115,634 housing units, of which 115,586 were occupied by 119,112 households. An occupancy rate of 99.96 percent was recorded, higher by 2.01 percentage points than the 1990 figure (97.95). More than 97 percent of the occupied housing units in Ilocos Sur were single houses.

Majority of the occupied housing units did not need repair or needed minor repair only while almost 19 percent needed major repair. One out of five occupied housing units were relatively new, built from1996 to 2000.

About 9 out of 10 houses had strong materials for roof

Galvanized iron/aluminum was the commonly used material of the roof of occupied housing units in Ilocos Sur. It comprised 86.3 percent, higher than the 71.4 percent recorded in 1990. On the other hand, the proportion of roof made of cogon/nipa/anahaw declined from 25.2 percent in 1990 to only 9.4 percent in 2000. The use of concrete/brick/stone as construction material of the outer walls rose by more than hundred percent, from 20.9 percent in 1990 to 46.0 percent in 2000.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Administrator

ILOCOS SUR

Ilocos Sur occupies a long, narrow stretch of coast skirting steep mountain ranges cut by dozens in short, swift rivers. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Abra, and on the south by the province of La Union. The provinces of Benguet and Mountain Province rise on the east while the blue depths of the South China Sea lie to the west.

The province of Ilocos Sur was created on February 2, 1818, when a royal decree divided the old province of Ilocos into two. It was administered as part of the Filipino Republic in 1898.

Ilocos Sur is the cultural hub of the Ilocos region. The province takes the great pride in the richness of its cultural heritage. Vigan, its capital, is a living museum of old cobblestone streets and Spanish period tile-roof houses. The most colorful observances in Ilocos Sur center on Roman Catholic rites.

Table 1. Population Distribution of Top Five Municipalities by Sex: Ilocos Sur, 2000

Municipality Total Population Percent Male Female
Ilocos Sur 594,206 100.0 297,017 297,189
     Candon 50,564 8.51 25,256 25,308
     Vigan (Capital) 45,143 7.60 22,127 23,016
     Narvacan 38,435 6.47 19,292 19,143
     Santa Cruz 34,433 5.79 17,267 17,166
     Tagudin 34,427 5.79 17,008 17,419
     Other Municipalities 391,204 65.84 196,067 195,137
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 2. Total Population by Age Group, Sex and Sex Ratio: Ilocos Sur, 2000

Age Group Total Population Male Female Sex Ratio
Ilocos Sur 594,206 297,017 297,189 99.94
     Under 1 12,349 6,367 5,982 106.44
     1 to 4 49,161 25,446 23,715 107.30
     5 to 9 65,291 33,559 31,732 105.76
     10 to 14 64,057 32,931 31,126 105.80
     15 to 19 62,212 31,667 30,545 103.67
     20 to 24 54,877 28,082 26,795 104.80
     25 to 29 45,897 23,633 22,264 106.15
     30 to 34 42,980 21,911 21,069 104.00
     35 to 39 38,943 19,840 19,103 103.86
     40 to 44 33,199 16,744 16,455 101.76
     45 to 49 27,624 13,625 13,999 97.33
     50 to 54 22,276 10,889 11,387 95.63
     55 to 59 17,910 8,275 9,635 85.88
     60 to 64 16,926 7,691 9,235 83.28
     65 to 69 12,348 5,400 6,948 77.72
     70 to 74 10,240 4,213 6,027 69.90
     75 to 79 8,197 3,329 4,868 60.39
     80 & Over 9,719 3,415 6,304 54.17
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 3. Household Population 5 Years Old and Over by Highest Educational Attainment and Sex: Ilocos Sur, 2000

Highest Educational Attainment Household Population 5 Years Old & Over Male Female
Ilocos Sur 532,099 264,818 267,281
     No Grade Completed 18,463 8,750 9,713
     Pre-School 13,888 6,967 6,921
     Elementary 216,441 109,820 106,621
     High School 160,712 83,549 77,163
     Post Secondary 30,203 14,565 15,638
     College Undergraduate 53,635 25,347 28,288
     Academic Degree Holder 27,119 10,230 16,889
     Post Baccalaureate 1,747 609 1,138
     Not Stated 9,891 4,981 4,910
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 4. Household Population by Ethnicity and Sex: Ilocos Sur, 2000

Ethnicity Both Sexes Male Female
Ilocos Sur 593,608 296,630 296,978
     Ilocano 551,315 275,463 275,852
     Kankanai/Kankaney/Kankanaey 17,374 8,965 8,409
     Itneg 5,216 2,574 2,642
     Tagalog 3,672 1,774 1,898
     Others 12,788 6,376 6,412
     Not Reported 3,243 1,478 1,765
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 5. Total Population 10 Years Old and Over by Age Group and Marital Status: Ilocos Sur, 2000

Age Group Total Population
10 Yrs Old & Over		 Single Married Widowed Divorced/
Separated		 Others Unknown
Ilocos Sur 467,405 207,208 215,621 26,559 3,386 11,206 3,425
     Below 20 126,269 120,488 2,895 87 68 1,158 1,573
     20 – 24 54,877 38,100 13,804 118 149 2,163 543
     25 – 29 45,897 18,241 24,908 209 267 1,911 361
     30 – 34 42,980 9,761 30,484 404 455 1,652 224
     35 – 39 38,943 5,515 30,649 746 544 1,324 165
     40 – 44 33,199 3,436 27,019 1,084 555 997 108
     45 – 49 27,624 2,349 22,423 1,626 448 681 97
     50 – 54 22,276 1,862 17,466 2,142 326 432 48
     55 – 59 17,910 1,434 13,538 2,402 197 292 47
     60 – 64 16,926 1,449 11,983 3,092 138 219 45
     65 – 69 12,348 1,163 7,815 3,124 79 130 37
     70 – 74 10,240 1,109 5,617 3,307 61 107 39
     75 – 79 8,197 916 3,916 3,186 45 80 54
     80 & Over 9,719 1,385 3,104 5,032 54 60 84
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Table 6. Occupied Housing Units by Construction Materials of Outer Walls and Roof: Ilocos Sur, 2000

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS OF THE OUTER WALLS Total Occupied Housing Units CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS OF THE ROOF
Galvanized
Iron/
Aluminum		 Tile/
Concrete/
Clay Tile		 Half Galvanized, Iron and Half Concrete Cogon/
Nipa/
Anahaw		 Wood Makeshift/
Salvaged/
Improvised
Materials		 Asbestos/
Others/
Not Reported
Ilocos Sur 115,586 99,742 542 2,843 10,817 389 152 1,101
     Concrete/Brick/Stone 53,144 52,085 408 344 238 19 5 45
     Wood 7,791 7,098 25 82 336 239 5 6
     Half Concrete/Brick/Stone and Half Wood 25,710 23,189 78 2,050 348 33 7 5
     Galvanized Iron/Aluminum 844 778 4 35 20 6 - 1
     Bamboo/Sawali/Nipa 25,728 15,577 - 301 9,718 75 39 18
     Others/Not Reported 2,369 1,015 27 31 157 17 96 1,026
Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

 

TECHNICAL NOTES

Average Household Size – average number of people who live in the household

Growth Rate – the rate at which the population is increasing (or decreasing) in a given year due to natural increase and net migration, expressed as a percentage of the base population

Median Age – the age at which exactly half of the population is young and half is old

Sex Ratio – the ratio of males to females in a given population expressed as the number of males per 100 females

Age-Dependency Ratio – the ratio of persons in the "dependent" ages (under 15 years and over 64 years) to those in the "economically productive" ages (15 to 64 years old) in the population

Household – a social unit consisting of a person or a group of persons who sleep in the same housing unit and have common arrangements in the preparation and consumption of food

The 2000 Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000) was undertaken by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in May 2000, as mandated by Commonwealth Act No. 591, Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Executive Order No. 121. It was the 11th census of population and 5th census of housing undertaken in this country since the first census in 1903. It was designed to take an inventory of the total population and housing units all over the Philippines and to collect information about their characteristics. Census day for the Census 2000 was May 1, 2000 (12:01 a.m.). Enumeration started on May 1, 2000 and lasted for about 30 days.

 

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Page last revised: April 23, 2002