Abstract

Estimated at 10 to 20 percent of the 109 million population in Philippines, Indigenous Peoples (IPs) are among the poorest and most marginalized, although they live in regions with vast natural resources. The lack of representation of IPs in official surveys and administrative data prevents an accurate assessment of their living conditions and the socio-economic challenges they face. This silences their voice, obscures state accountability towards them, and limits their agency to take on a more active role in society. The few available data and anecdotal evidence reveal that IPs face important inequalities of opportunity in several human development dimensions, which are likely aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the extent of these inequalities is not well understood, due to scant data and research on IPs. The lack of surveys with information on ethnicity has also made it difficult to examine the type and extent of inequalities among and within ethnic groups in the country, as well as the impact of intersectionality with gender, disability, and place of residence on their inclusion. This represents a significant challenge when creating public policy at the national level or poverty reduction programs at the local level, as IPs remain unnoticed, unaccounted for, and ultimately deprived of their rights and any real benefit.

Therefore, reliable data on IPs is urgently needed, particularly in this COVID-19 era where IPs can be disproportionately disadvantaged due to legacies of inequality and exclusion. Hence, to collect data and inform evidence-based policy/decision making to better target the needs of IPs, the World Bank commissioned this first ever IP-specific household (HH) survey in Philippines to Philippine Survey and Research Center, Inc. (PSRC).

The main objective of this quantitative household survey is to improve the current understanding about the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) population in the Philippines, and eventually, craft strategies when addressing inequality or representation of the group. Specifically, the study aims to: 1. Collect as much data and inform evidence-based policy/decision making to better target the needs of IPs; 2. Gauge a better view/understanding of the IPs’ poverty, socio-economic condition and the exercise of their rights; 3. Add current knowledge into the ongoing World Bank Advisory Services and Analytics on the Indigenous Peoples of the Philippines.

Geographic coverage

Selected IP areas in the Philippines

Analysis unit

Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Non-Indigenous Peoples (NIPs) with the following specifications: • Male/Female • 18 years old and above

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Stratified multi-stage area probability sampling was employed as follows: • Stratification: The sample was stratified by region and by locale (i.e., urban/rural) • First Stage: Independent random selection of PSUs (barangays) within the strata • Second Stage: Selection of SSUs (households) within the sampled PSUs

A household is defined as a social unit consisting of a person or a group of persons who sleep in the same housing unit and have a common arrangement in the preparation and consumption of food. Household is often comprised of individuals related by blood . Other members of households not related to the household head by blood such as helper, borders, and non relatives can be included as member of the household as long they prepare and consume food together and do not go home to the fa mily more than once in a week. The domain was the Philippines’ 17 administrative regions. Using the Indigenous Peoples (IP) household population from the 2020 Census, the following information were computed: • Proportion of IP household population from Census for each region • Proportion of each region out of total IP household population

To manage cost and timings, sampling coverage was focused on regions greater than or about 3% from both information above and IP household population of at least 250,000. The 2,400 sample was then split into these regions to arrive at the desired area cuts: • CAR • Other Selected Luzon Regions (Cagayan Valley, MIMAROPA) • Western Visayas • Other Mindanao Regions (Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, SOCCSKSARGEN, CARAGA) • BARMM

From the sample of 2,400, there were 240 PSUs across the 10 covered regions. The 240 PSUs covered were split proportionately across the 10 regions using the IP household population. The table below shows the sampling breakdown at regional level.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Available in the English language but conducted in either English or Tagalog

Response rate

To achieve 2,400 completed interviews, 12,131 households were approached/ knocked. Of the 12,131 households knocked, 2,273 refused, 3,028 gave no reply or door locked, and 4,430 were not eligible given the specific requirements that we were looking for. The response rate among eligible interviews is 51%. Response rate is higher in Luzon and lowest in Mindanao.

Philippines PH: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 6.524 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.496 Ratio for 2015. Philippines PH: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 6.818 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.181 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 5.921 Ratio in 2005. Philippines PH: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Number of people who are undernourished in Philippines was reported at 6900000 in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Philippines - Number of people who are undernourished - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

There were 95 200 000 Facebook users in Philippines in January 2022, which accounted for 79.8% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 53.7%. People aged 18 to 24 were the largest user group (29 500 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 18 to 24, where women lead by 13 400 000.

Based on the 2020 census, 86 percent of households in the Philippines were classified as non-indigenous peoples. Meanwhile, there were about eight people who were indigenous people and five percent belonging to a Muslim tribe.

Philippines PH: People Practicing Open Defecation: % of Population data was reported at 5.739 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.125 % for 2014. Philippines PH: People Practicing Open Defecation: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 8.558 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.891 % in 2001 and a record low of 5.739 % in 2015. Philippines PH: People Practicing Open Defecation: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.World Bank: Health Statistics. People practicing open defecation refers to the percentage of the population defecating in the open, such as in fields, forest, bushes, open bodies of water, on beaches, in other open spaces or disposed of with solid waste.; ; WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation (http://www.wssinfo.org/).; Weighted Average;

The total population in Philippines was estimated at 112.9 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Philippines Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

PH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data was reported at 98.108 % in 2013. This records an increase from the previous number of 97.751 % for 2008. PH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 96.037 % from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2013, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.108 % in 2013 and a record low of 91.789 % in 1980. PH: Literacy Rate: Youth: % of People Age 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.World Bank: Education Statistics. Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in Philippines was reported at 144 per 100 people in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Philippines - Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2020, about 5.4 million people in the Philippines had been affected by storm that occurred in the country. Super Typhoon Goni was the strongest typhoon to have occurred in that year, affecting over two million people. The number of affected people by storms were highest in 2013 at 17.94 million.

People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population) in Philippines was reported at 94.88% in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Philippines - People using at least basic drinking water services (% of population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

The Philippines: Percent of people aged 15+ who have a credit card: The latest value from 2021 is 8.09 percent, an increase from 1.94 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 22.26 percent, based on data from 121 countries. Historically, the average for the Philippines from 2011 to 2021 is 4.1 percent. The minimum value, 1.94 percent, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 8.09 percent was recorded in 2021.

People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) in Philippines was reported at 92.2% in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Philippines - People using at least basic drinking water services, rural (% of rural population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in March 2022, ** percent of respondents in the Philippines aged 55 years and above were taking dietary supplements or nutraceuticals. On the other hand, ** percent of respondents aged 16 to 24 stated that they were not taking dietary supplements.

In 2024, the total population of the Philippines was at approximately 114.17 million inhabitants. For the foreseeable future, the Filipino population is expected to increase slightly, despite a current overall downward trend in population growth. The dwindling Filipino population For now, the population figures in the Philippines still show a steady increase and the country is still one of the most densely populated countries in the Asia-Pacific region, however, all signs point to a decline in the number of inhabitants in the long run: Just like the population growth rate, the country’s fertility rate, for example, has also been decreasing for years now, while the death rate has been increasing simultaneously.   Poor healthcare to blame One of the reasons for the downward trend is the aging population; fewer babies are born each year, while life expectancy at birth has been steady over the years. Another reason is poor healthcare in the country: The Philippines have a high tuberculosis incidence rate, a highly infectious disease, and are among the countries with a high probability of death from noncommunicable diseases as well.

The Philippines: The number of deaths per 1000 people, per year: The latest value from is deaths per 1000 people, unavailable from deaths per 1000 people in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 deaths per 1000 people, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for the Philippines from to is deaths per 1000 people. The minimum value, deaths per 1000 people, was reached in while the maximum of deaths per 1000 people was recorded in .

There were 102 317 900 Facebook users in Philippines in November 2024, which accounted for 85.9% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 53%. People aged 18 to 24 were the largest user group (34 700 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 18 to 24, where women lead by 15 900 000.

To estimate county of residence of Filipinx healthcare workers who died of COVID-19, we retrieved data from the Kanlungan website during the month of December 2020.22 In deciding who to include on the website, the AF3IRM team that established the Kanlungan website set two standards in data collection. First, the team found at least one source explicitly stating that the fallen healthcare worker was of Philippine ancestry; this was mostly media articles or obituaries sharing the life stories of the deceased. In a few cases, the confirmation came directly from the deceased healthcare worker's family member who submitted a tribute. Second, the team required a minimum of two sources to identify and announce fallen healthcare workers. We retrieved 86 US tributes from Kanlungan, but only 81 of them had information on county of residence. In total, 45 US counties with at least one reported tribute to a Filipinx healthcare worker who died of COVID-19 were identified for analysis and will hereafter be referred to as “Kanlungan counties.” Mortality data by county, race, and ethnicity came from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).24 Updated weekly, this dataset is based on vital statistics data for use in conducting public health surveillance in near real time to provide provisional mortality estimates based on data received and processed by a specified cutoff date, before data are finalized and publicly released.25 We used the data released on December 30, 2020, which included provisional COVID-19 death counts from February 1, 2020 to December 26, 2020—during the height of the pandemic and prior to COVID-19 vaccines being available—for counties with at least 100 total COVID-19 deaths. During this time period, 501 counties (15.9% of the total 3,142 counties in all 50 states and Washington DC)26 met this criterion. Data on COVID-19 deaths were available for six major racial/ethnic groups: Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic Asian (hereafter referred to as Asian American), and Hispanic. People with more than one race, and those with unknown race were included in the “Other” category. NCHS suppressed county-level data by race and ethnicity if death counts are less than 10. In total, 133 US counties reported COVID-19 mortality data for Asian Americans. These data were used to calculate the percentage of all COVID-19 decedents in the county who were Asian American. We used data from the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates, downloaded from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) to create county-level population demographic variables.27 IPUMS is publicly available, and the database integrates samples using ACS data from 2000 to the present using a high degree of precision.27 We applied survey weights to calculate the following variables at the county-level: median age among Asian Americans, average income to poverty ratio among Asian Americans, the percentage of the county population that is Filipinx, and the percentage of healthcare workers in the county who are Filipinx. Healthcare workers encompassed all healthcare practitioners, technical occupations, and healthcare service occupations, including nurse practitioners, physicians, surgeons, dentists, physical therapists, home health aides, personal care aides, and other medical technicians and healthcare support workers. County-level data were available for 107 out of the 133 counties (80.5%) that had NCHS data on the distribution of COVID-19 deaths among Asian Americans, and 96 counties (72.2%) with Asian American healthcare workforce data. The ACS 2018 five-year estimates were also the source of county-level percentage of the Asian American population (alone or in combination) who are Filipinx.8 In addition, the ACS provided county-level population counts26 to calculate population density (people per 1,000 people per square mile), estimated by dividing the total population by the county area, then dividing by 1,000 people. The county area was calculated in ArcGIS 10.7.1 using the county boundary shapefile and projected to Albers equal area conic (for counties in the US contiguous states), Hawai’i Albers Equal Area Conic (for Hawai’i counties), and Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic (for Alaska counties).20

Philippines PH: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data was reported at 0.240 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.774 Ratio for 2004. Philippines PH: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 3.923 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.916 Ratio in 2002 and a record low of 0.240 Ratio in 2015. Philippines PH: Nurses and Midwives: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.World Bank: Health Statistics. Nurses and midwives include professional nurses, professional midwives, auxiliary nurses, auxiliary midwives, enrolled nurses, enrolled midwives and other associated personnel, such as dental nurses and primary care nurses.; ; World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Statistics, OECD, supplemented by country data.; Weighted average;

The Philippines: Midwives per 1,000 people: The latest value from is midwives per 1,000 people, unavailable from midwives per 1,000 people in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 midwives per 1,000 people, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for the Philippines from to is midwives per 1,000 people. The minimum value, midwives per 1,000 people, was reached in while the maximum of midwives per 1,000 people was recorded in .