- Davao Region population growth lags behind national average
DAVAO Region’s total population as of July 1, 2024, has reached 5,389,422, as Southern Mindanao recorded a slower growth than the national average, according to the 2024 Census of Population (2024 POPCEN).
The total population of Region XI accounted for about 4.8% of the Philippine population in 2024, and ranked seventh among the country’s 18 regions in terms of population size.
The 2024 total population was higher by 145,886 compared to its population of 5,243,536 on May 1, 2020.
It increased by 0.66% on average annually from 2020 to 2024, which is lower than the Philippine growth rate from 2015 to 2020, which was at 1.46%.
For comparison, the population in 2010 was 4,468,563, and the 2015 population was recorded at 4,893,318.
Davao City topped the highest population with 1.85 million.
Meanwhile, of the five provinces, Davao del Norte had the biggest population in 2024 with 1.14 million, followed by Davao de Oro with 784,000; Davao del Sur with 705,000; Davao Oriental with 590,000; and Davao Occidental had the smallest population with 317,159.
Davao del Sur, on the other hand, was the fastest-growing province in the region, with an average annual population growth rate (PGR) of 0.86% from
2020 to 2024. In 2020, the province posted a population of 680,000.
It is followed by Davao Oriental with a PGR of 0.56%, Davao de Oro (0.50%), Davao del Norte (0.40%), and Davao Occidental posted the lowest provincial PGR of 0.03%.
The largest city/municipality in terms of population size is Tagum City in Davao del Norte with 300,042 persons, followed by Panabo City in Davao del Norte with 211,242 persons, and Digos City in Davao del Sur with 192,063 persons.
