Spatial analysis of human population distribution and growth in Marinduque Island, Philippines

This study assessed the spatial distribution of population growth of Marinduque, an island province in the heart of the Philippines. Based on the results, population of the province varies across time and space while densely populated areas are concentrated in coastal, flat and relatively flat regions. From 1990–2010, majority of the villages in the province experienced an increase in population. Global Moran’s I test on the change in population and population growth rate suggests there is spatial clustering of these two variables among villages. Local Moran’s I test validated such results and was able to detect several High–High and Low–High clusters of villages.