Nearly two out of five persons were never married

Based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH), the MIMAROPA Region had a household population of 3,212,287 persons. Of this total, the household population ten years old and over comprised 78.6 percent or 2,524,210 persons. 

Of the 2.52 million MIMAROPAns aged ten years and over, 38.6 percent were never married, while 40.7 percent were married. The rest of the population was categorized as follows: in common-law/live-in marital arrangement (14.5%), widowed (4.6%), and divorced/separated/annulled (1.6%). (Figure 1 and Table 2)

Despite an additional 25,029 single or never-married MIMAROPAns in 2020, a decline of 3.7 percentage points in the share to the household population 10 years old and over was observed between 2015 and 2020 from 42.3 percent in 2015 to 38.6 percent in 2020. (Table 2)

The percentage of married persons in 2020 was slightly lower by 2.6 percentage points from 43.3 percent share in 2015. However, the number of married MIMAROPAns increased by 54,808 from 0.97 million in 2015 to 1.03 million in 2020. (Table 1 and Table 2)

Among individuals in common-law / live-in marital arrangements, the percentage increased to 14.5 percent in 2020 from 8.7 percent in 2015. The same trend was observed among those divorced / separated / annulled, that registered 1.6 percent in 2020 from 1.2 percent in 2015. Meanwhile, the percentage of widowed individuals in 2020 at 4.6 percent was slightly higher than 4.5 percent in 2015. (Table 2)

In terms of distribution by sex, 41.9 percent of households were composed of single men, while 35.2 percent were composed of single women. On the other hand, 40.3 percent of males and 41.1 percent of females were married. Similarly, 14.4 percent of males and 14.6 percent of females were in common-law / live-in marital arrangements. The remaining percentage was distributed between divorced and widowed, reaching 1.4 percent for divorced / separated / annulled males and 1.9 percent for their female counterparts. Meanwhile, the percentage of widowed males and females was 2.1 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively. (Table 2)

There are more males than females among the never-married persons, married persons, and common-law/live-in marital arrangements

Among the never-married persons, a higher proportion of males (55.1%) were reported in 2020. The same trend was observed among married persons and those in common-law/live-in marital arrangements with 50.3 percent and 50.4 percent, respectively. (Table 3)

Romblon posts the highest proportion of single individuals; Palawan for married individuals

Among provinces in the region, the proportion of single or never-married MIMAROPAns was highest in Romblon at 41.2 percent. This was followed by Oriental Mindoro (39.1%) and Occidental Mindoro (38.7%). Meanwhile, Palawan excluding the City of Puerto Princesa posted the lowest proportion of never-married individuals at 38.0 percent and was followed by Marinduque at 38.6 percent. (Table 4)

Palawan (excluding the City of Puerto Princesa) posted the highest proportion of married MIMAROPAns with 43.4 percent. This was followed by Occidental Mindoro (41.9%), and Marinduque (40.9%). These provinces exceeded the regional proportion of married persons at 40.7 percent. The lowest proportion of married persons, on the other hand, was observed in Romblon at 36.9 percent. (Table 4)

Common-law/live-in marital arrangements is most prevalent in the City of Puerto Princesa

The proportion of MIMAROPAns in common-law/live-in marital arrangements was highest in the City of Puerto Princesa at 21.1 percent, followed by Romblon at 15.1 percent, and Oriental Mindoro at 13.8 percent. The lowest proportion was in Marinduque with 13.2 percent. (Table 4)

Oriental Mindoro posts the highest proportion of divorced / separated / annulled individuals

Among provinces in the region, the prevalence of divorced, separated, or annulled individuals was highest in Oriental Mindoro at 2.5 percent. The lowest proportion of such individuals was observed in Palawan excluding the City of Puerto Princesa and in Romblon each with 1.2 percent. Meanwhile, the City of Puerto Princesa posted (Table 4)

Widowed MIMAROPAns is most prevalent in Marinduque

The proportion of widowed individuals was highest in the province of Marinduque at 6.0 percent, and was followed by Romblon with 5.0 percent. Both provinces exceeded the regional proportion of widowed individuals at 4.6 percent. The lowest proportion of widowed persons was in the City of Puerto Princesa (3.6%) and Palawan (3.8%). (Table 4)

Nearly seven in every ten persons aged 30-54 years are married

Among married persons, 68.6 percent were aged 30-54 years, broken down with the following age groups: 35-39 years with 14.8 percent, 40-44 years with 14.6 percent, 30-34 years with 13.8 percent, 45-49 years with 13.5 percent, and 50-54 years with 11.9 percent. (Figure 2)

Among married males, the highest proportion was reported in the age group 40-44 years with 7.5 percent. Meanwhile, married females had the highest proportion among age group 35-39 years with 7.5 percent. (Figure 2)

Among the age groups of individuals in common-law / live-in arrangements, the highest proportion was reported from age group 25-29 years with 20.9 percent. This was followed by the age groups 20-24 years (19.3%) and 30-34 years (15.5%). (Figure 2)

Among males, the age groups 25-29 years reported the highest proportion with 10.5 percent and was followed by the age group 20-24 years and 30-34 years with 8.4 percent each. Among females, the age group 20-24 years had 10.8 percent share of common-law / live-in arrangement while the age groups 25-29 years and 30-34 years had 10.4 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively. (Figure 2)

The proportion of persons reported as widowed was higher among females than males across all age groups. The same trend was observed among individuals who were divorced/separated/annulled. (Figure 3)

TECHNICAL NOTES 

I. Introduction 

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducted the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH) in September 2020, with 01 May 2020 as reference date. 

The 2020 CPH was the 15th census of population and 7th census of housing that was undertaken in the Philippines since the first census in 1903. It was designed to take inventory of the total population and housing units in the country and collect information about their characteristics.

The Philippine Standard Geographic Codes as of March 2022 was used for the disaggregation of geographic levels of the 2020 CPH.

II. Data Collection

Information on marital status contained in this report is based on the responses of the household respondents in the 2020 CPH. Hence, these may be different from the figures in the 2020 Vital Statistics Report released by the PSA, wherein the number of registered marriages refers to the actual registration of marriage certificates, as recorded by the Local Civil Registrars (LCRs) and transmitted to the PSA. 

The statistics presented in this report were based on the information provided by the respondent or any responsible household member who may provide accurate answers to the questions and give correct information about all the household members; hence, it should be used with caution.

III. Methodology

The population and housing censuses in the Philippines are conducted on a “de jure” basis, wherein a person is counted in the usual place of residence or the place where the person usually resides. The enumeration of the population and collection of pertinent data in the 2020 CPH referred to all living persons as of 01 May 2020.

For the 2020 CPH, data on the Marital Status of every household member 10 years old and over were collected by asking the respondents, “Is _______ single, married, common-law/live-in, widowed, or divorced/ separated/annulled?”.

IV. Concepts and Definition of Terms

A household is a social unit consisting of a person living alone or a group of persons who sleep in the same housing unit and have a common arrangement in the preparation and consumption of food.

Household population comprises of persons who belong to a household.

Household head is an adult member of the household, male or female, who is responsible for the organization and care of the household or who is regarded as such by the household members.

Sex is the biological and physiological reality of being a male or female. 

Age refers to the interval between the person’s date of birth and his/her last birthday before the census reference date. It is expressed in completed years or whole numbers.

Marital status refers to the personal status of an individual in accordance with the marriage laws or customs of the country. It is the same as civil status, the term usually used in official and private records, documents, and transactions in the country. The person’s marital status shall be as of the date of visit. The categories of marital status are as follows:

a) Single – a person who has never been married; 

b) Married – a person married in a religious, civil ceremony or tribal rites, either living with his/her spouse at the time of visit or temporarily living apart because his/her spouse is employed elsewhere (as in the case of a person whose spouse is an overseas worker, or works in the Armed Forces and residing somewhere else); 

c) Common-law/Live-in – a person cohabiting or living consensually with another person as husband and wife without the benefit of a legal marriage; 

d) Divorced – a person who is permanently separated from his/her spouse, legally or through mutual consent; also applicable for a person whose marriage with another person has been annulled or dissolved and can, therefore, remarry; and 

e) Unknown – a person whose marital status is unknown to the respondent or whose marital status is being concealed by the respondent/person himself/herself.

V. Dissemination of Results 

The 2020 CPH Press Release and statistical tables are publicly available at the PSA website, https://psa.gov.ph/population-and-housing.