Date of Release: 07 September 2022

Reference No.: SR-1125-2022-007

Based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH), Davao Oriental had a total population of 576,343 persons. Of this total, the household population comprised 99.8 percent or 574,984 persons. Of the 574.98 thousand household population of the province, 297.11 thousand (51.7%) were males while 277.88 thousand (48.3%) were females. By age group, 188.42 thousand (32.8%) were under 15 years of age (young dependents). On the other hand, persons aged 15 to 64 years (working-age or economically-active population) totaled to 354.27 thousand (61.6%) while those in age groups 65 years and over (old dependents) comprised the remaining 32.29 thousand (5.6%). In 2015, persons aged 0 to 14 years, 15 to 64 years, and 65 years and over accounted for 34.6, 60.4, and 5.0 percent, respectively, of the household population.

Moreover, there were more males (87.9%) than females (86.5%) among the 0 to 54 age group. Meanwhile, among the older age group (55 years and over), females (13.5%) outnumbered the males (12.1%). The same trend was also observed in 2015.

Sex ratio stands at 107 males per 100 females

The sex ratio in the province was computed at 107 in 2020. This means that there were 107 males for every 100 females. The sex ratio in 2015 was slightly higher at 108 males per 100 females (see Figure 2). In 2020, children aged below 15 years had a sex ratio of 106 males per 100 females, while those aged 15 to 64 years had a sex ratio of 110 males per 100 females. Moreover, among those aged 65 years and over, the sex ratio was 86 males per 100 females. This depicts a longer life expectancy among females than males or a higher mortality rate among males than females in the older age groups (see Figure 2).

Median age increases to 24.0 years

The median age of Davao Oriental population continues to rise during the past three decades. In 2020, the median age was computed at 24.0 years, which means that half of the household population was younger than 24.0 years, while the other half is older than 24.0 years. This is higher than the median ages of 23.0. years and 21.9 years that were posted in 2015 and 2010, respectively (see Figure 3).

Dependency ratio declines to 62 dependents per 100 persons in the workingage group

The overall dependency ratio of the province was computed at 62, which indicates that for every 100 working-age or economically-active population, there were about 62 dependents (53 young dependents and 9 old dependents). This is lower than the dependency ratio in 2015, which was recorded at 66 dependents per 100 workingage population, that is 57 young dependents and 8 old dependents (see Table 1).

There are more males than females in children under five years old

Children below five years old comprised 10.3 percent (59.34 thousand) of the household population which is slightly lower than the 11.8 percent (65.37 thousand) posted in 2015. The sex ratio slightly increased at 107 males per 100 females in 2020. This was posted at 106 males per 100 females in 2015 (see Table 2)

School-age household population reached 237,944 persons

In 2020, the school-age population (5 to 24 years old) accounted for 237.94 thousand (41.4%) of the 574.98 thousand household population. This is a slight decrease compared with the 232.72 thousand (42.0%) school-age population that was reported in 2015 (see Table 2 and Figure 4)

Senior citizens constitute 8.5 percent of the household population

In the Philippines, people aged 60 years old and over are regarded as senior citizens. They made up 8.8 percent (50.86 thousand) of the household population in 2020, higher than the 7.7 percent (42.70 thousand) recorded in 2015. There were more females (52.2%) than males (47.8%) among the senior citizens, in 2020. The same trend was observed in 2015 (see Table 2 and Figure 5).

Nearly half of the female population are of reproductive age

Women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years old) totaled to 135.95 thousand or 48.9 percent of the 277.88 thousand female household population in 2020, a little higher compared with the 48.6 percent (130.35 thousand) posted in 2015 (see Table 2 and Figure 6).

Aging index increases by 4.9 points from 22.1 in 2015 to 27.0 in 2020

In Davao Oriental, the aging index or the proportion of persons aged 60 years and over per 100 persons under the age of 15 years was computed at 27.0 percent in 2020. This means that there is one person aged 60 years and over for every four children under 15 years old. In 2015, the aging index was 4.9 points lower at 22.1 percent (see Table 2 and Figure 7).

Approved for release:

ROGELIO T. LEBRIA

Chief Statistical Specialist

TECHNICAL NOTES

Introduction

The Philippine Statistics Authority conducted the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH) in September 2020, with 01 May 2020 as reference date.

The 2020 CPH was the 15th census of population and 7th census of housing that was undertaken in the Philippines since the first census in 1903. It was designed to take inventory of the total population and housing units in the country and collect information about their characteristics.

The Philippine Standard Geographic Codes as of April 2022 was used for the disaggregation of geographic levels of the 2020 CPH.

Definition of Terms

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

Household population refers to all persons who are members of the household.

Sex is the biological and physiological reality of being a male or female.

Age refers to the interval of time between the person’s date of birth and his/her last birthday prior to the census reference date. It is expressed in completed years or whole number.

Age-sex structure is the composition of a population as determined by the number or proportion of males and females in each age category. The age-sex structure of a population is the cumulative result of past trends in fertility, mortality, and migration. Information on agesex composition is essential for the description and analysis of many other types of demographic data.

Population pyramid is a bar chart, arranged vertically, that shows the distribution of a population by age and sex. By convention, the younger ages are at the bottom, with males on the left and females on the right.

Sex ratio is the number of males per one hundred females in a population.

Median age is the age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half of the population are younger than this age and the other half are older.

Overall dependency ratio is the number of persons under 15 years old (young dependents) and persons aged 65 and older (old dependents) per one hundred persons 15 to 64 years old (working-age or economically-productive group) in a population.

Aging of population is a process in which the proportions of adults and elderly increase in a population, while the proportions of children and adolescents decrease. This process results in a rise in the median age of the population. Aging occurs when fertility rates decline while life expectancy remains constant or improves at the older ages.

Aging index is calculated as the number of persons 60 years old and over per one hundred persons under the age of 15 years.