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| The Population of Batanes According to the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, the population of Batanes was 16,467 on May 1, 2000, up 2,287 from the 1995 Census, representing an average annual growth of 3%. This was the highest observed since the first-ever Census conducted by the government in 1903. The previous strongest growth was registered between 1980 and 1990. The growth was mainly due to natural increase (births less deaths) and the slowdown in interprovincial out migration. |
| The Municipalities - Three out of four Ivatans reside in the northern half of the Batanes Archipelago that comprise the municipalities of Basco, Itbayat and Mahatao. Between 1995 and 2000, the population increased in all the municipalities. These increases were mainly the result of natural increase and the slowdown in migration outflows to other provinces and municipalities. |
| The municipality of Ivana recorded the highest growth rate (4.8%) among the municipalities compared to a negative growth of 3% between 1990 and 1995. Mahatao and Sabtang also recorded above-average growth rates of 4% and 3.2%, respectively. Basco's population increased by 3.1% compared to 0.15% in the previous period. Itbayat recorded growth of 2.9% compared with a negative growth of 1.9% in 1990-1995. Uyugan's population was virtually unchanged from 1,265 in 1995 to 1,268 in 2000. |
| Age and Gender (1995 Census data) The 1995 Census composite of population painted a statistical portrait of the age structure of Batanes. Median Age - A way to measure the aging of a population is the median age, the age at which half of the population is younger and half is older. In 1995, the median age in Batanes was 21.7 years. Because of a higher life expectancy, the median age of Ivatan women was greater than that of Ivatan men by 1.8 years, 22.6 years and 20.8 years, respectively. The disparity between the sexes is also observed at the municipal level. In all municipalities, women's median age is greater than men's. Median age lowest in Itbayat and highest in Mahatao The population of Itbayat was considerably younger than that of the province and the other municipalities. In 1995, the median age was 18.7 years. By contrast, Mahatao has the highest median age at 24.5 years. The situation in both cases is mainly due to the interaction between fertility, mortality and migration. While the median age shows the aging of a population, a more detailed picture may be obtained by looking at age groups. A useful breakdown distinguishes between persons aged under 15 (children), those 15-64 (working age population) and those 65 and over (the elderly). Children (0-14) - In 1995, children accounted for 37.8% of the total population of Batanes, an increase of 2.1 percentage points from the 1990 Census. While the proportion of persons aged 0-14 has increased in the province, persons aged 15-64 has declined. Children highest in Itbayat and lowest in Uyugan Among the municipalities, Itbayat has the highest proportion of children (44.7%). The high percentage of children in the municipality was due in large measure to high fertility rate and the out migration of young adults. Uyugan recorded the lowest proportion of children (32.1%) in all of Batanes. Working Age Population (15-64) - Batanes' working age population (15-64) accounted for 54.6% of the total population in 1995, a decline from 57.1% in 1990. The decline was mainly due to the out migration of people in this age group to other provinces and/or countries. Working age population highest in Uyugan and lowest in Itbayat At the municipal level, the proportion of the population represented by the 15-64 age group is highest in Uyugan, with 60.1%, and the lowest in Itbayat, with 48.2%. The Elderly (65+) - In 1995, Batanes' proportion of persons aged 65 and over was 7.5% of the total population, up from 7.1% in the 1990 Census. A greater proportion of women than of men were aged 65 and over, 8.5% and 6.6%, respectively. The major differences between the figures for men and women in this age group was primarily because of higher male mortality. The same situation is observed at the municipal level. In Sabtang, the proportion of women and men aged 65 and over were 11.3% and 6.8%, respectively. Elderly highest in Mahatao and lowest in Basco Mahatao is the municipality with the greatest proportion of elderly (10.3%). This reflects low mortality rates and the relatively high rates of migration of working age adults to other provinces and municipalities. The situation was different in Basco where the percentage of people 65 and over was the lowest of any municipality. In 1995, people 65 and over made up 6.3% of the municipality's population. This situation is attributable to fertility rate and employment which attracted an influx of young adults from other provinces and municipalities. In the other municipalities, the proportion of seniors was 9.6% in Ivana and 7.1% in Itbayat. Dependency Ratio - The various dependency ratios (for children, for the aged, and the total ratio) also serve as useful indicators since they provide information on the economic burden that is borne by the adult population. Batanes' total dependency ratio (ratio of the sum of those aged 0-14 and those 65 and over to those 15-64) slightly changed to 83.1% in 1995. A breakdown of the total dependency shows that the child dependency ratio changed to 69.2% and the elderly to 13.8%. Dependency ratio highest in Itbayat and lowest in Uyugan The ratio varies from one municipality to another ( from 107.6% in Itbayat to 66.4% in Uyugan). In Itbayat, the ratio was attributable to high proportion of children and low proportion of working age population. The reverse was true in Uyugan where the percentage of children is the lowest and the working age population the highest in all of Batanes. Sex Ratio - For Batanes, the sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) fell from 103 in 1990 to 102.6 in 1995. Two municipalities had a proportion of less than 100: Basco (98.5) and Ivana (96.3). Itbayat had the highest proportion (114.6 males per 100 females). Elderly masculinity ratio lowest in Sabtang On the masculinity ratio of the elderly, Sabtang has the lowest (61.6 males per 100 females) of any municipality. Marital Status (1995 Census data) Single - Single people still constituted the largest proportion of the population of Batanes. Since 1990, however, the proportion has declined from 55.2% to 48.9%. Single people highest in Uyugan and lowest in Mahatao In Uyugan, single people accounted for 58% of the population, the highest proportion in all of Batanes. The situation was different in Mahatao where the percentage of single people was the lowest in all of Batanes. In 1995, single people made up 45.9% of the municipality's population. In the other municipalities, the proportion of singles range from --- 52.2% in Sabtang and 48.7% in Basco to 46.5% in Ivana and 46% in Itbayat. Married - The percentage of married people in Batanes increased from 39.3% in 1990 to 44.4% in 1995. The proportion of widowed persons increased to 5.6%, a gain of half a percentage point over the 1990 proportion of 5.1%. Married people highest in Itbayat and lowest in Uyugan In Itbayat, married people represented 47.4% of the total population, the highest of any municipality. Uyugan has the lowest proportion of married people among the municipalities with 35.9% of the population aged 10 and over. Elsewhere, the number of married people range from 47.1% in Mahatao to 41.6% in Sabtang. Separated/Divorced - As of the 1995 Census, there were 60 separated/divorced people in Batanes. Separated/divorced men continued to outnumber separated/divorced women. Separated/divorced people highest in Basco, common law/live in highest in Mahatao Basco has the highest number of separated/divorced people with 0.8% of the population aged 10 and over in 1995. The number of separated/divorced people was lowest in Mahatao, with none of the population. However, Mahatao has the highest number of common law/live in people with 1% of the population aged 10 and over. |
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| CENSUS POPULATION, BATANES |
| 0 |
| Thousands |
| 1903 |
| 2 |
| 4 |
| 6 |
| 8 |
| 10 |
| 12 |
| 14 |
| 16 |
| 18 |
| 20 |
| 1918 |
| 1939 |
| 1948 |
| 1960 |
| 1970 |
| 1975 |
| 1980 |
| 1990 |
| 1995 |
| 2000 |
| Source: National Statistics Office |
| 8.3 |
| 8.2 |
| 9.5 |
| 10.7 |
| 10.3 |
| 11.4 |
| 11.9 |
| 12.1 |
| 15.0 |
| 14.2 |
| 16.5 |
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| CENSUS POPULATION, BATANES, 2000 |
| Source: National Statistics Office |
| Basco 6,717 40.8% |
| Itbayat 3,616 22% |
| Ivana 1,293 7.9% |
| Sabtang 1,678 10.2% |
| Uyugan 1,268 7.7% |
| Mahatao 1,895 11.5% |
| Demographic Characteristics of Batanes |
| Highlights |
| Demography Demography is a platform for broad socio-economic planning. The relationship between demographic changes on the one hand, and social, economic and behavioural factors on the other, are key issues in planning for the future. An understanding of demographics is essential, therefore, to any overall planning and policy-making process. |
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| The Municipalities |
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