Philippines Travel Podcast with Miguel Santos

Location

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam

Terrain

Mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

Climate

Tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Elevation

Highest point

Mount Apo 2,954 m

Lowest point

Philippine Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

442 m

Area

Total

300,000 sq km

Land

298,170 sq km

Water

1,830 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly less than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

Coastline

36,289 km

Land borders

Total 0 km

Natural resources

Timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper

Land use

Agricultural land

42.7% (2023 est.)

Arable land

18.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

18.9% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

5% (2023 est.)

Forest

24.7% (2023 est.)

Other

32.7% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Astride typhoon belt, usually affected by several cyclonic storms each year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Taal (311 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Mayon (2,462 m), the country's most active volcano, erupted in 2009 and forced over 33,000 to be evacuated; other historically active volcanoes include Biliran, Babuyan Claro, Bulusan, Camiguin, Camiguin de Babuyanes, Didicas, Iraya, Jolo, Kanlaon, Makaturing, Musuan, Parker, Pinatubo, and Ragang; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

Note

Note 1: for decades, the Philippine archipelago was reported as having 7,107 islands; in 2016, the national mapping authority reported that hundreds of new islands had been discovered and increased the number of islands to 7,641, though not all of the new islands have been verified

Note 2: the Philippines is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

Note 3: the Philippines sits on the Pacific typhoon belt, and an average of 9 typhoons make landfall on the islands each year, with about 5 being destructive; the country is the most exposed in the world to tropical storms

Population

Total

118,277,063 (2024 est.)

Male

59,227,092

Female

59,049,971

Nationality

Noun

Filipino(s)

Adjective

Philippine

Ethnic groups

Tagalog 26%, Bisaya/Binisaya 14.3%, Ilocano 8%, Cebuano 8%, Illonggo 7.9%, Bikol/Bicol 6.5%, Waray 3.8%, Kapampangan 3%, Maguindanao 1.9%, Pangasinan 1.9%, other local ethnicities 18.5%, foreign ethnicities 0.2% (2020 est.)

Languages

Languages

Tagalog 39.9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 16%, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo 7.3%, Ilocano 7.1%, Cebuano 6.5%, Bikol/Bicol 3.9%, Waray 2.6%, Kapampangan 2.4%, Maguindanao 1.4%, Pangasinan/Panggalato 1.3%, other languages/dialects 11.2%, unspecified 0.4% (2020 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Ang World Factbook, ang mapagkukunan ng kailangang impormasyon. (Tagalog)

Religions

Roman Catholic 78.8%, Muslim 6.4%, Iglesia ni Cristo 2.6%, other Christian 3.9%, other 8.2%, none/unspecified <0.1 (2020 est.)

Median age

Total

27.1 years (2025 est.)

Male

25.1 years

Female

26.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

70.8 years (2024 est.)

Male

67.3 years

Female

74.5 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

48.3% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

2.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Population concentrated in areas with good farmland; highest concentrations are northwest and south-central Luzon, the southeastern extension of Luzon, and the islands of the Visayan Sea, particularly Cebu and Negros; Manila is home to one eighth of the national population

Largest cities

14.667 million MANILA (capital), 1.949 million Davao, 1.025 million Cebu City, 931,000 Zamboanga, 960,000 Antipolo, 803,000 Cagayan de Oro City, 803,000 Dasmarinas (2023)

Background

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. Led by Emilio AGUINALDO, the Filipinos conducted an insurgency against US rule from 1899-1902, although some fighting continued in outlying islands as late as 1913. In 1935, the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. The islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence.

Twenty-one years of authoritarian rule under Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a "people power" movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Several coup attempts hampered her presidency, and progress on political stability and economic development faltered until Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. The US closed its last military bases on the islands the same year. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. His vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, succeded him in 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another "people power" movement ("EDSA 2") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected president in 2004. Corruption allegations marred her presidency, but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction after the 2008 global financial crisis. Benigno AQUINO III was elected as president in 2010, followed by Rodrigo DUTERTE in 2016. During his term, DUTERTE pursued a controversial drug war that garnered international criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. was elected president in 2022 with the largest popular vote in a presidential election since his father's ouster.

For decades, the country has been challenged by armed ethnic separatists, communist rebels, and Islamic terrorist groups, particularly in the southern islands and remote areas of Luzon.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

Manila

Time zone

UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Republika ng Pilipinas

Independence

4 July 1946 (from the US)

National day

Independence Day, 12 June (1898)

Overview

Growing Southeast Asian economy; commercial rebound led by transportation, construction and financial services; electronics exports recovering from sector slowdown; significant remittances; interest rate rises following heightened inflation; uncertainties due to increased regional tensions with China

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$10,400 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$9,900 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$9,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3.2% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

6% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.8% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

2.2% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.3% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.6% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Philippine pesos (PHP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

57.291 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

55.63 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

54.478 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

49.255 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

49.624 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Semiconductors and electronics assembly, business process outsourcing, food and beverage manufacturing, construction, electric/gas/water supply, chemical products, radio/television/communications equipment and apparatus, petroleum and fuel, textile and garments, non-metallic minerals, basic metal industries, transport equipment

Agriculture

Sugarcane, rice, coconuts, maize, bananas, vegetables, tropical fruits, plantains, pineapples, cassava (2023)

Airports

256 (2025)

Railways

Total

77 km (2017)

Standard gauge

49 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge

Narrow gauge

28 km (2017) 1.067-m gauge

Ports

Total ports

70 (2024)

Large

2

Medium

4

Small

8

Very small

56

Ports with oil terminals

22

Key ports

Batangas City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Manila, San Fernando Harbor, Subic Bay

Internet domain

.ph

Internet users

Percent of population 84% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

135 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

144 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Deforestation, especially in watershed areas; illegal mining and logging; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps; coastal erosion; dynamite fishing; wildlife extinction

Fresh water

479 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

1

Global geoparks and regional networks

Bohol Island (2023)