Preliminary estimates for 2023 show that the region of Zamboanga Peninsula had the highest poverty incidence among families in the Philippines at 24.2 percent. In comparison, the National Capital Region (NCR) had the lowest poverty incidence among families during this period. Overall, the total poverty incidence of families in the Philippines was 10.9 percent.

In 2023, Quezon was the wealthiest city in the Philippines, with approximately 449 billion Philippine pesos worth of assets. Following by a large margin was Makati City. In that year, the province of Cebu was the wealthiest province in the country.

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.

The province of Cebu topped the ranking of the wealthiest provinces in the Philippines, with assets amounting to approximately 310 billion Philippine pesos in 2023. Following by a large margin were the provinces of Rizal and Camarines Sur.