The share of the urban population in the Philippines has continued to rise over the years. In 2022, the urban population accounted for roughly 48 percent of the entire population. In the Philippines, urbanized areas were primarily found in Metro Manila, located in the National Capital Region (NCR).

 Urban population growth in the Philippines

Urban areas in the Philippines have a high influx of people due to better infrastructure and employment opportunities available. From 2011 to 2015, the urban population growth rate was over two percent. However, from 2016 to 2020, the population growth rate decreased and has been at around 1.9 percent since the Philippine government introduced “Back to the Province” program to reduce overcrowding in Manila.

Lack of affordable housing in the urbanized areas in the Philippines

Poverty has been one of the reasons for slum dwellings in the Philippines. Despite better infrastructures in urban areas, there is also a lack of affordable housing for people living below the poverty level in urban areas. As a result, 43 percent of the urban population live in slums in the Philippines, one of the highest urban population living in slums across the Asia Pacific.

In 2021, the Philippines had about ***** thousand millionaires. It was projected that in 2026, the number of high net worth individuals in the country will reach about ** thousand.

Unemployment Rate in Philippines decreased to 3.90 percent in May from 4.10 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Philippines Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2023, approximately 1.3 million private cars were registered in the Philippines. The number of registered private cars in the country gradually increased year-on-year since 2014, with a variation in 2020.

The share of urban population in the Philippines saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 48.29 percent. Nevertheless, 2023 still represents a peak in the share in the Philippines. A population may be defined as urban depending on the size (population or area) or population density of the village, town, or city. The urbanization rate then refers to the share of the total population who live in an urban setting. International comparisons may be inconsistent due to differing parameters for what constitutes an urban center.Find more key insights for the share of urban population in countries like Timor-Leste and Laos.

Tourist arrivals to the Philippines slowly picked up after significant disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. From roughly 1.48 million tourists in 2020, international visitor numbers rose to around 5.44 million in 2024. Despite the increase, this number remains much lower than the pre-pandemic level. State of inbound tourism in the Philippines  The tourism industry has shown significant improvements in the past three years, with flights returning to normal and tourists reviving their travel interests. Although domestic travelers continue to outnumber inbound ones, the number of international tourists in the Philippines has seen gradual growth recently. In 2023, tourism receipts also slightly surpassed the 2019 values. On average, international tourists in the Philippines stayed for about 11 nights in November 2023, spending less than 8,000 Philippine pesos daily. In 20234, more than a quarter of tourists arriving in the country came from South Korea, followed by those traveling from the United States and Japan. Airlines for international tourists  In 2023, most international passengers who traveled to the Philippines were carried by Philippine Airlines (PAL), which is the country’s flagship airline. The majority of visitors entered the country via Manila, followed by Cebu. Aside from PAL, international tourists also traveled through Cebu Pacific, which is a low-cost airline that offers both domestic and international flights.