DEMOGRAPHY

POPULATION SIZE AND GROWTH RATE

The 2007 Census of Population and Housing revealed that the municipality had a population of was 23,117 persons, with a growth rate of 0.87. This is remarkable higher than the growth rate in 2000 of 0.46. The population of Paoay in 2007 was 4.22% of the total Ilocos Norte population. From 1970 to 2007, the town’s population had increased 1.52 times compared to the provincial rate municipality and the Province of Ilocos Norte.

It can be summarized from 1970 to 2007, the average growth rate for the urban barangays is 0.83 while it is 0.97 in the rural barangays. However it can be noted that in the urban barangays, eleven (11) barangays had lower growth rate than the average municipal growth rate and (4) barangays had negative growth rate. Eight(8) barangays had significantly grown more than the average municipal rate of 0.87. Barangay Sta. Rita had the highest growth rate of 2.18 while Barangay San Juan had the lowest growth rate of -2.07.

For the rural barangays, only three (3) had lower growth rate than the municipal growth rate that includes Barangay Callaguip and Masintoc which had negative  growth of -0.42 and -1.13, respectively.

However, among the 31 barangays in the municipality, Barangay Nagbacalan had the most number of population of 2,793 having 518 households, while Barangay Pannaratan had the least population with 223 having 64 families in 47 households.