General Santos City Datawatch: Population of General Santos City Exceeded Half Million

POPULATION OF GENERAL SANTOS CITY EXCEEDED HALF MILLION

(Results from the 2007 Census of Population)

Population increased to 529,542 persons

The total population of General Santos City was 529,542 persons as of August 1, 2007, based on the 2007 Census of Population. This figure was higher by 117,720 person
s over the population count of 411,822 persons in 2000. The recent population count for this highly urbanized city translated to an average annual population growth rate of 3.53 percent for the period 2000 to 2007.

The number of households reached 111,927, which was 25,332 households more than the number of households posted in 2000. The average household size in 2007 was 4.7 persons, the same average household size reported in 2000.

Calumpang was the most populated barangay

Among the 26 barangays in General Santos City, barangay Calumpang was the most populated, with a population of 67,832 persons, or 12.8 percent of the city’s total population. It was followed by barangays Fatima (12.7 percent), Labangal (10.9 percent), and Lagao (1st & 3rd) (9.1 percent). Barangay Olympog had the least share of 0.5 percent.

Sex ratio was 102 males per 100 females

Of the 528,011 household population of General Santos City, 50.5 percent were males and 49.5 percent were females, or a sex ratio of 102 males for every 100 females. In 2000, the sex ratio was 101 males per 100 females.

Half of the population were below 21 years old

The household population of General Santos City had a median age of 21 years in 2007, which means that half of the household population were below 21 years old. This figure was one year higher than the median age (20 years) in 2000.

More than one third (34.9 percent) of the city’s household population were below 15 years old. The highest share was noted in under 5-year old age group (12.4 percent), followed by age group 5 to 9 years old (11.5 percent) and 10 to 14 years (10.9 percent). The proportion of those in age group 15 to 19 years, which was registered at 11.8 percent, was higher than those in age groups 5 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years. This made the age-sex population structure of the city deviate from the usual pyramid shape.

More than half of the household population were in the voting age group

More than half (58.1 percent) of the household population of the city were in the voting age group (18 years old and over). The distribution of voting-age population by sex showed that males (50.3 percent) outnumbered the females (49.7 percent).

Overall dependency ratio decreased to 60 dependents per 100 persons in the working age group

The proportion of household population in the working age group (15 to 64 years) was 62.5 percent; young dependents (0 to 14 years), 34.9 percent; and old dependents (65 years and over), 2.6 percent.

The overall dependency ratio was computed at 60, which means that for every 100 persons in the working age group, there were 60 dependents (56 young and 4 old dependents). In 2000, there were about 66 dependents (62 young and 4 old dependents) for every 100 persons in the working-age population.

Never-married persons comprised more of males than females

Of the household population 10 years old and over in 2007, 46.0 percent were never-married while 43.5 percent were married. The rest of the population was either widowed, divorced/separated, had common law/live-in marital arrangement, or had unknown marital status. Among never-married persons, there were more males (52.9 percent) than females (47.1 percent). Females outnumbered the males in the rest of the categories for marital status.

In 2000, the proportion of never-married persons was 43.5 percent, while the proportion of married persons was 45.8 percent of the total household population 10 years old and over.

More females reached higher levels of education

Of the household population 5 years old and over, 31.2 percent had attended or finished elementary education while 35.8 percent had reached high school. Proportion of academic degree holders was 9.2 percent, an increase of 4.5 percentage points from 4.7 percent in 2000.

More females reached higher levels of education than males as shown by higher proportion of females with academic degree (55.3 percent) and post baccalaureate courses (55.2 percent).

Among the household population 5 to 24 years old, majority (62.9 percent) attended school at anytime during School Year 2007 to 2008. Almost the same proportion of males (50.1 percent) and females (49.9 percent) attended school during said school year.

Number of occupied housing units increased by 30 percent

From a total of 85,058 occupied housing units in 2000, the number of occupied housing units reached 110,611 in 2007, showing an increase of 30.0 percent. The number of households for every 100 occupied housing unit in 2007 was 101 households, which was lower than the ratio of 102 households for every 100 occupied housing units in 2000. The number of persons per occupied housing unit in 2007 was 4.8 persons, the same ratio reported in 2000.

Most occupied housing units were made of strong materials

An improvement in the materials used for the outer walls was observed in 2007. The proportion of occupied housing units with outer walls made of concrete/brick/stone increased from 32.3 percent in 2000 to 37.2 percent in 2007. On the other hand, the proportion of occupied housing units with outer walls made of bamboo/sawali/cogon/nipa dropped from 36.5 percent in 2000 to 33.4 percent in 2007.

Moreover, majority (81.6 percent) of the occupied housing units in 2007 had roofs made of galvanized iron/aluminum. Use of cogon/nipa/anahaw for the roof remarkably decreased from 25.7 percent in 2000 to 15.2 percent in 2007.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Administrator

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