Sunday, July 08, 2007 NSO sees more than 12M population hike By Grace L. Plata
THE National Statistics Office (NSO) projects a 12 million-plus population increase (from year 2000) for the year 2007 though the actual census for this year is yet to start by August 1.
Based on the Census of Population and Housing conducted decennially by NSO, the total population of the Philippines as of May 1, 2000 was 76,504,077 persons.
According to NSO analysis, this was higher by 7,887,541 persons or about 10.31 percent from the 1995 census (with September 1, 1995 as reference date). It was 10 times the Philippine population in 1903 when the first census was undertaken.
The expansion of the Philippine population reflected a 2.36 percent average annual growth rate in the 1995-2000 period.
The figure reflected a slight increase from a declining growth rate that started in the first half of the seventies.
The last increase recorded in population growth rates was during the intercensal period 1948 to 1960 at 3.07 percent.
Similarly, the number of households in the country edged up in 2000. This indicated an increase of 1,770,753 households over the 1995 census. The average household size in 2000 was five persons, a slight decrease from 1995 (5.07 persons).
For 2007, NSO's assumption of population rate ranges from 88,461,700 (low assumption) to 88,875,300 (high assumption).
The recent growth rate (based on the 2000 census) was 0.04 percentage point higher than the annual growth during the early part of the nineties.
If the average annual growth rate continues, the population of the Philippines is expected to double in 29 years (from 2000).
