Philippine population survey results out next month

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will release the results of the nationwide population survey in January, months after the original schedule last September.

The National Capital Region (NCR) surveys were delayed “due to the absence of responsible family members.”

PSA National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Lisa Grace Bersales admitted that in the survey data in Metro Manila, most household heads “were working and not available in their residences.”

By the end of November, surveys in Metro Manila were 80 percent done.

“The target is to come out with the full report in January, including population counts, by barangays,” Bersales said.

The PSA is primarily responsible for the nationwide conduct of the 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN 2015), pursuant to Republic Act 10625 or Philippine Statistical Act of 2013.

The mid-decade census aims to update the population count in all barangays nationwide, in compliance with Executive Order 352 or The Designation of Statistical Activities that will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector.

Previous to POPCEN 2015, mid-decade censuses were carried out in 1995 and 2007.

The 2015 census, a complete enumeration of households in the country, is designed to inventory the country’s population – by province, city, municipality and barangay.

The census will provide government executives, policy and decision makers, and planners with updated population counts of all 42,028 barangays in the country, on which they will base their social and economic development plans, policies, and programs.

Data will also be used for research and academic institutions in the conduct of studying population and related disciplines and study of population growth and geographic distribution as bases in preparing population projections at the national and sub-national levels, the PSA said.

Business and industry will likewise use the census data for identification of sites for establishing businesses, determination of consumer demands for various goods and services, and improvement of supply of labor for the production of goods and services.

In the 2010, the country’s population reached 92.34 million compared to the 76.51 million in 2000.

The average annual growth rate from 2000 to 2010 was 1.9 percent against the 2.34-percent rate from 1990 to 2000.

Among the 17 regions, Calabarzon  (Region 4A) had the largest population with 12.61 million, followed by NCR with 11.86 million, and Central Luzon (Region 3) with 10.14 million.

By province, Cavite had the largest population with 3.09 million, followed by Bulacan with 2.92 million and Pangasinan, 2.78 million

?Six other provinces surpassed the two-million mark: Laguna (2.67 million); Cebu, excluding Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City (2.62 million); Rizal (2.48 million), Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City (2.4 million); Batangas (2.38 million); and Pampanga, excluding Angeles City, (2.01 million).

Of the 22 highly urbanized cities, four surpassed the one-million mark.

These are Quezon City with 2.76 million; Manila, 1.6 million; Caloocan City, 1.49 million, and Davao City, 1.45 million.

The POPCEN 2015 is the 14th census to be taken in the country since 1903.