[ About Us ] 

Ilocos Region's population swells to 4.17 million

Ilocos region's population grew faster between 1995 and 2000 as compared to its average annual growth rate between 1990 and 1995, results of the Census 2000 quick count show.

Registering an annual average growth rate of 2.01%, the region’s population swelled to 4.17 million, adding 370 thousand persons more to its population over the period of five years. The region is ranked eighth nationwide in terms of population and sixth in average annual growth rate.

Pangasinan, the region’s largest province, had the highest growth rate. Recording an annual average growth rate of 2.28% over the past five years, the province’s population reached 2.42 million or roughly 48,000 persons added to its population every year between 1995 and 2000. This represents about 58.00% of the region’s total population which means that almost six in every ten persons in the Ilocos Region live in Pangasinan. The province also has the highest population among the provinces nationwide surpassing Cebu and Negros Occidental, the first two provinces with the highest population recorded in the 1995 Census. All four provinces of the region exhibited higher average annual growth rates between 1995 and 2000 than between 1990 and 1995. Ilocos Norte has the lowest growth rate among the region’s provinces at 1.34%.

Meanwhile, San Carlos remained the city with the highest population in the Ilocos Region. With around 2,800 persons added to its population every year over the past five years, the city’s population reached 148 thousand. It was, however, Urdaneta, one of the two new cities in the region, which recorded the fastest growth rate in the past five years. With its average annual growth rate placed at 2.31%, Urdaneta's population expanded to 112 thousand from the 100 thousand in 1995. Dagupan meanwhile, exhibited the slowest growth of 0.51% but still was next to San Carlos in terms of population at 129 thousand. Except for Dagupan, all the cities in the Ilocos Region recorded higher growth rates between 1995 and 2000 than between 1990 and 1995.

Source of Basic Data: National Statistics Office

IRENEA B. UBUNGEN
Head, NSCB Regional Unit I