Population and Demographics

The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population of over 90 million as of 2006. Roughly two-thirds reside on the island of Luzon. Manila, the capital, is the eleventh most populous metropolitan area in the world. In the 100 years since the 1903 Census, the population has grown by a factor of eleven. This represents a much faster rate of growth than other countries in the region (Indonesia has grown fivefold over the same period). Population growth per year in 2007 was about 1.76%, with 24.5 births per 1,000 people. Life expectancy is 70.51 years, with 73.55 years for females and 67.61 years for males. The literacy rate is 92.6%, and about equal for males and females.

The most widely spoken language is Filipino, which is de facto based on Tagalog, although thirteen regional languages are spoken as vernaculars throughout the Philippines. English serves as the primary lingua franca and as the language of commerce and the professions. Christianity is the main religion in the archipelago, with Roman Catholicism making up the majority. A small but significant minority profess Islam, particularly in the southern Philippines.

Ethnic Groups

The people of the Philippines are called Filipinos. Most Filipinos are descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who arrived in successive waves over a thousand years ago from Taiwan, genetically most closely related to the Ami tribe. These ethnic Filipinos are divided into various ethnolinguistic groups, including but not limited to:

• the Bajau
• the Bicolanos
• the Bisaya
• the Chabacano
• the Ibanag
• the Igorot
• the Ilocanos
• the Ivatan
• the Kapampangans
• the Lumad
• the Mangyan
• the Moro
• the Palawan
• the Pangasinense
• the Tagalogs

The Negritos or Aetas, who are considered as the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, currently number fewer than 30,000 people (0.03%).

Filipinos of Chinese descent, who had been settling in the Philippines since pre-Hispanic times, currently forms the largest non-Austronesian ethnic group, claiming about 2% of the population. Other significant minorities, ranked according to population, include Spanish, Americans, Japanese, Europeans, Koreans, South Asians and Africans. There are also numerous Arabs and Indonesians in the country, especially in Mindanao. The Philippines has Asia's largest American population.

Throughout the country's history, various ethnic groups as well as the migrants and colonizers have intermarried, producing Filipino Mestizos. According to genetic studies, about 3.65% of the Filipinos population have some Caucasian ancestry (mostly of Spanish or Mexican, White American and other European descent), and about 10% have some Chinese ancestry.

The people of the Philippines are known as Filipinos. Throughout the colonial era the term 'Filipino' originally referred to only the Spanish and Spanish-mestizo minority. The definition, however, later evolved to include all citizens of the Philippines regardless of ethnic origin.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 91,077,287
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 34.5% (male 16,043,257/female 15,415,334)
  • 15-64 years: 61.3% (male 27,849,584/female 28,008,293)
  • 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,631,866/female 2,128,953)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 22.7 years
  • Male: 22.2 years
  • Female: 23.3 years
• Population Growth Rate: 1.764%
• Birth Rate: 24.48 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 0.994 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.767 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.999 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 22.12 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 24.85 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 19.25 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 70.51 years
  • Male: 67.61 years
  • Female: 73.55 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 3.05 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 9,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Tagalog 28.1%
  • Cebuano 13.1%
  • Ilocano 9%
  • Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%
  • Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%
  • Bikol 6%
  • Waray 3.4%
  • Other 25.3%
• Religions:
  • Roman Catholic 80.9%
  • Muslim 5%
  • Evangelical 2.8%
  • Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%
  • Aglipayan 2%
  • Other Christian 4.5%
  • Other 1.8%
  • Unspecified 0.6%
  • None 0.1%
• Languages:
  • Filipino (official)
  • English (official)
  • 8 major dialects: Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango and Pangasinan
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 92.6%
  • Male: 92.5%
  • Female: 92.7%