Based on the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH), the province of Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City, posted a total population of 2,396,039 persons as of May 1, 2010.  This is larger by 259,392 persons compared to its total population of 2,136,647 persons counted in the 2000 CPH.  The increase in the population count from 2000 to 2010 translated to an average annual population growth rate (PGR) of 1.15 percent.  This is lower than the 1.22 percent annual PGR of the province between the census years 1990 and 2000.

 

If the average annual PGR recorded at 1.15 percent during the period 2000 to 2010 continues, the population of Negros Occidental would double in 61 years.

 

Fifty years ago, the population of Negros Occidental was only 1,213,008 persons.  This population size is more than one half of the population of the province in the 2010 CPH.

 

 

 

 

Among the 12 cities and 19 municipalities comprising the province of Negros Occidental, the City of Kabankalan was the most populous with a population size making up 7.0 percent of the total provincial population.  Bago City was second with 6.8 percent share, followed by the cities of Cadiz with 6.3 percent, Sagay with 5.9 percent, San Carlos with 5.4 percent, and Silay with 5.1 percent. The rest of cities and municipalities contributed less than 5.0 percent each.

 

The municipality of Candoni was the least populated with 0.9 percent share to the total population of the province. In 2000, the municipality of Salvador Benedicto was also the least populated area.

 

 

 

 

Of the 2,393,087 household population in 2010, males accounted for 51.3 percent while females comprised 48.7 percent.  These figures resulted in a sex ratio of 105 males for every 100 females, which is similar to the sex ratio recorded in 2000 (104 males for every 100 females).

 

 

 

In 2010, the median age of the population of the province was 22.8 years, which means that half of the population was younger than 22.8 years. This is higher than the median age of 20.3 years that was recorded in 2000.

 

Moreover, 33.8 percent of the household population were under 15 years old.  Children aged 10 to 14 years (11.5 percent) comprised the largest age group, followed by those in the age groups 5 to 9 years (11.3 percent) and 15 to 19 years (11.2 percent).  Males outnumbered females in the age groups 0 to 54 years.  On the other hand, there were more females than males in the older age groups (55 years and over).

 

 

 

The voting-age population (18 years and over) accounted for 59.3 percent of the household population of the province in 2010, up from 54.5 percent in 2000.  There were more males (51.0 percent) than females (49.0 percent) among the voting-age population.

 

 

 

In 2010, the young dependents (0 to 14 years) comprised 33.8 percent of the household population while the old dependents (65 years and over) posted a share of 5.3 percent. The working-age population (15 to 64 years) accounted for the remaining 60.9 percent.

           

The overall dependency ratio was 64, which indicates that for every 100 working-age population, there were about 64 dependents (55 young dependents and nine old dependents). This ratio is lower than the dependency ratio in 2000, which was recorded at 75 dependents per 100 working-age population (68 young dependents and seven old dependents).

 

 

 

Of the household population 10 years old and over, 45.4 percent were never married while 45.1 percent were married. The rest of the population was categorized as follows: widowed (4.9 percent), in common-law/live-in marital arrangement (3.7 percent), and divorced/separated (0.8 percent).

 

Among the never-married persons, 56.1 percent were males while 43.9 percent were females.  For the rest of the categories for marital status, the females outnumbered the males.

 

 

 

Of the 2,129,464 household population aged five years and over, 44.5 percent had attended or completed elementary education, 31.1 percent had reached or finished high school, 6.1 percent were college undergraduates, and 6.9 percent were academic degree holders.  Females outnumbered the males among those who had attained higher levels of education as they comprised 58.1 percent of all those with an academic degree and 62.0 percent of all those who had pursued post baccalaureate courses.

 

 

 

In 2010, around 43,400 persons or 1.8 percent of the 2,393,087 household population had a disability.  This proportion of persons with disability (PWD) is higher than the proportion in 2000, which was 1.2 percent of the 2,134,812 household population of the province during that year.  The number of PWD for the same year was around 26,600.

 

 

 

Of the 2,129,464 household population five years and over, 3.3 percent (or 70,495 persons) had at least one type of functional difficulty either in seeing, hearing, walking or climbing steps, remembering or concentrating, self-caring (bathing or dressing), or communicating.  There were more females (52.9 percent) than males (47.1 percent) among those persons with at least one type of functional difficulty.

 

Moreover, of the total 70,495 persons aged five years and over with at least one type of functional difficulty, 66.9 percent reported difficulty in seeing, even if wearing eyeglasses.  There were 24.1 percent who had difficulty in walking or climbing steps; 21.6 percent had difficulty in hearing, even if using a hearing aid; 14.3 percent had difficulty in remembering or concentrating; 11.8 percent had difficulty in communicating; and 9.0 percent had difficulty in self-caring (bathing or dressing).

 

 

 

Of the 1,858,187 household population 10 years old and over in Negros Occidental, 1.2 percent (or 22,591 persons) were overseas workers.  Male overseas workers outnumbered their female counterparts as they comprised 57.5 percent of all the overseas workers from this province.  Overseas workers aged 30 to 34 years made up the largest age group, comprising 20.5 percent of the total overseas workers from this province in 2010, followed by the aged 45 years and over (19.4 percent), 25 to 29 years (19.1 percent), and 35 to 39 years (16.8 percent).

 

 

 

The number of households in 2010 was recorded at 513,995, higher by 97,773 households compared with the 416,222 households posted in 2000.  The average household size in 2010 was 4.7 persons, lower than the average household size of 5.1 persons in 2000.

 

 

 

 

A total of 508,710 occupied housing units were recorded in the province of Negros Occidental in 2010.  This translates to a ratio of 101 households for every 100 occupied housing units, with 4.7 persons per occupied housing unit.  In 2000, there were 102 households per 100 occupied housing units and 5.2 persons per occupied housing unit.

 

 

 

In 2010, 39.2 percent of the occupied housing units in the province had outer walls made of bamboo/sawali/cogon/nipa, down from 40.0 percent in 2000.  The proportion of occupied housing units with outer walls made of concrete/brick/stone, on the other hand, increased from 12.9 percent in 2000 to 24.1 percent in 2010.  Meanwhile, 72.0 percent of the occupied housing units in 2010 had roofs made of galvanized iron/aluminum.  This is higher than the proportion of 61.0 percent recorded in 2000.  The proportion of occupied housing units with roofs made of cogon/nipa/anahaw decreased from 30.0 percent in 2000 to 22.9 percent in 2010.

 

 

           

In 2010, 39.9 percent of the total 513,995 households owned or amortized the lots that they occupied.  The corresponding figure in 2000 was 25.6 percent of the 416,222 households.

 

Moreover, 51.6 percent of the households occupied lots which were rent-free but with consent of the owner, 4.0 percent rented the lots that they occupied while 2.7 percent occupied lots which were rent-free but without consent of the owner.