The total population of Northern Mindanao as of 01 May 2020 reached 5,022,768 based on the results of the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH). Of this total, the household population comprised 5,007,798 persons. This placed Northern Mindanao in the top 9 of the most populous regions in the country. The population as of 2020 is higher by 333,466 compared to the population of 4.69 million in 2015.

Comparison of Women and Men Population

In 2020, the recorded population of men in Northern Mindanao was about 51.1 percent of the total population. This was higher than that of women which was posted at 48.9 percent of the total population. This resulted to a sex ratio of 104 men per 100 women, showing domination of men over women population.

In terms of the household population, Table 1 shows that the region recorded more men posted at 2,554,944 persons than women posted at 2,452,854 persons.

Table 1. Household Population by Sex and Province/HUCs, Region X: 2020

The province of Bukidnon recorded the highest household population count for both men and women among all the provinces and highly-urbanized cities (HUCs) in the region. Its household population of 1,537,629 comprised of about 51.9 percent men and 48.1 percent women.

Age Structure

In general, the age structure of Northern Mindanao population followed the typical shape of the population pyramid with a narrow top composed of the elderly and a relatively broad base consisting of children. (Figure 2)

Young dependents belonging to age group 0 to 14 years comprised 33.0 percent of the total population. The old dependents (65 years and over) accounted for 4.9 percent, while 62.1 percent comprised the economically active population (15 to 64 years).

The overall dependency ratio in 2020 was 61. This meant that for every 100 persons in the working age group (15-64 years), there were about 61 dependents.

 

Figure 2. Population Pyramid, Region X: 2020

 

Voting Population

The total number of Region X voting population was posted at 3,058,542 persons. There was an almost 50-50 percent distribution by sex, with men at 50.8 percent, outpacing slightly the women at 49.2 percent. The voting population comprises the population belonging to age group 18 years and above.

 

Youth Population

In 2020, the population of the youth was about 29.0 percent of the total population of the region. This youth population comprised those in the age group 15 to 30 years. The young men population was about 51.1 percent of the total youth population, while young women accounted for about 48.9 percent. Men outnumbered the women in the youth population by about 2.3 percentage points.

 

Reproductive Age Group

Out of the 2.5 million women in Northern Mindanao, the total population of women in childbearing ages (15-49 years) was recorded at 1,245,938 million or 50.7 percent of the total number of women. The highest percentage of which was in the 15 to 19 years age group (19.8 percent). (Figure 2)

The Population based on Registered Marriages

The total number of registered marriages in the region was recorded at 18,304 marriages. Bukidnon recorded the highest number of registered marriages in 2021 with 7,038 marriages. This accounted for about 38.5 percent of the total registered marriages in the region. (Table 2)

Table 2. Number of Registered Marriages by Province/HUCs, Region X: 2021

In 2021, a total of 1,205 marriages involved adolescent women below 20 years of age. This is five times as many marriages involving adolescent men (251 persons). Around 37.7 percent (6,896 persons) men got married within the ages of 25 to 29 years, and about the same proportion was observed for women (37.5% or 6,872 persons).

Figure 5. Population Pyramid based on Registered Marriages, Region X: 2021

The Population based on Overseas Workers

In 2020, a total of 59,653 household population were overseas workers residing in Northern Mindanao, of which 52.4 percent were women while 47.6 percent were men.

Table 3. Household Population of Overseas Workers by Sex, Region X: 2020

In 2021, the population of Overseas Filipino Workers from the region was recorded at about 65,245 persons. This group is composed of 34.6 percent men and 65.4 percent women. (Table 4)
Meanwhile, the population of Overseas Contract Workers from the region was recorded at about 65,118 persons. This group is composed of 34.3 percent men and 63.6 percent women.

Table 4. Distribution of Overseas Filipino Workers and Overseas Contract Workers by Sex and Major Occupation, Region X: 2021

Population of Senior Citizens

The Senior Citizen (SC) population in 2020 was recorded at about 7.9 percent of the total population of the region. The SC were those who belonged to age group 60 years and above. About 46.6 percent SC were men while 53.4 percent were women. Women SC outnumbered men SC by about 6.9 percentage points.

 

The Population Based on Functional Difficulty

For the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, the data on functional difficulty of the household members five years and over were collected by asking the respondents whether each member had difficulty in seeing, even if wearing eyeglasses; hearing, even if using a hearing aid; walking or climbing steps; remembering or concentrating; self-caring; and/or communicating using their usual language.

The questions cover six (6) functional domains: seeing, hearing, walking, cognition, self-care, and communication. Each question has four (4) response categories: (1) No, no difficulty, (2) Yes, some difficulty, (3) Yes, a lot of difficulty and (4) Cannot do it at all.

Results showed that in 2020, there were 332,177 household population five (5) years old and over with at least one domain or category of functional difficulty regardless of severity, out of the 4,461,503 household population aged five (5) years and over in Region X. This is composed of 46.4 percent men and 53.6 percent women. (Table 5)

Table 5. Household Population With at Least One Domain or Category
of Functional Difficulty Regardless of Severity, Region X: 2020

Of the 332,177 persons with at least one domain of functional difficulty, about 84.1 percent were reported to have mild cases; 11.0 percent had moderate cases, and 4.9 percent had severe cases. (Table 6)

Severe cases of functional difficulty were most common among the elderly (60 years old and over) and children aged 5 to 14. Of the 16,271 severe cases of functional difficulty, persons aged 80 years and above posted the highest prevalence rate (2,480 cases or 15.2%). By sex, prevalence rate among men was higher for age groups covering 69 years  and below, while prevalence rate was higher for women for age group covering 70 years and over.

Of the total 36,664 moderate cases, persons aged 80 years and over posted the highest prevalence rate (5,724 cases or 15.6%). It was followed by those in the age groups 65 to 69 years (3,548 cases or 9.7%). By sex, prevalence rate among men was higher for age groups covering 64 years and below, while prevalence rate was higher for women for age group covering 65 years and over.

Mild cases of functional difficulty were observed to be highest among persons aged 60 to 64 years. Persons 60 to 64 years old posted the highest prevalence rate (13.2%), followed by those in the age groups 55 to 59 years (12.7%). By sex, prevalence rate among women was higher for all age groups except for age groups 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years.

Table 6. Household Population With at Least One Domain or Category of Functional Difficulty
 by Age Group and Level of Severity, Region X: 2020

 

(Sgd.) SARAH B. BALAGBIS
(Chief Statistical Specialist)
Officer-in-Charge