Official Population of the Philippines Count Reveals...
88.57 million Filipinos
The population of the Philippines as indicated by the final results of the latest Census of Population (POPCEN 2007) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) was at 88,574,614 persons as of August 1, 2007.
Said results down to barangay level were made official with the signing by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Proclamation No. 1489 on April 16, 2008.
The total population of the Philippines in 2000 (based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing) was 76.50 million while it was recorded at 68.62 million in 1995 (based on the 1995 Mid-Decade Census).
The total population of the Philippines in 2000 (based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing) was 76.50 million while it was recorded at 68.62 million in 1995 (based on the 1995 Mid-Decade Census).
Lowest population growth rate recorded since the 1960s
The 2007 and 2000 census figures translated into an average annual population growth rate of 2.04 percent for the period 2000 to 2007. As shown below, it was the lowest annual population growth rate recorded for the Philippines since the 1960s.
The projected average annual population growth rate for the period 2005 to 2010 is 1.95 percent. This projection is based on the 2000 Census of Population and Housing.
Calabarzon, NCR, and Central Luzon comprise more than one-third of total population
| Census Year | Census Reference Date | Philippine Population (in millions) |
| 2007 | August 1, 2007 | 88.57 |
| 2000 | May 1, 2000 | 76.50 |
| 1995 | September 1, 1995 | 68.62 |
By region, Calabarzon (Region IV-A) had the largest population with 11.74 million, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 11.55 million, and Central Luzon (Region III) with 9.72 million. The combined population of these three regions comprised more than one-third (37.3 percent) of the population of the Philippines.
Twelve regions have growth rates lower than the national figure
Twelve of the country's 17 administrative regions have growth rates lower than the national figure. The other five regions had higher growth rates, namely, NCR (2.11%), Region III (2.36%), Region IV-A (3.21%), Region XII (2.41%), and ARMM (5.46%).
Cavite's 2.86 million population tops other provinces
Among provinces, Cavite had the largest population with 2.86 million. Bulacan was second with 2.83 million, and Pangasinan came in third, with 2.65 million.
Five other provinces surpassed the two million mark: Laguna (2.47 million persons); Cebu, excluding its three highly urbanized cities - Cebu City, Lapu-lapu City, and Mandaue City (2.44 million persons); Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City (2.37 million persons); Rizal (2.28 million persons); and Batangas (2.25 million persons)
On the other hand, three provinces reportedly had less than 100 thousand population, namely, Batanes (16 thousand persons); Camiguin (81 thousand persons); and Siquijor (88 thousand persons).
Four highly urbanized cities (HUCs) record more than one million population
Of the 32 highly urbanized cities (HUCs), only four had qualified for the Millionaires' Club. Three of such HUCs were in the NCR: Quezon City (2.68 million), Manila (1.66 million), and Caloocan City (1.38 million). The other HUC which qualified for the Millionaires' Club was Davao City with a population of 1.36 million.
About 40,000 fieldworkers were deployed by the NSO during the nationwide census taking last year. The population of the philippines counts proclaimed by the President as official for all purposes were based on census questionnaires from the different barangays all over the country. These questionnaires were processed in Regional Data Processing Centers adopting a new technology which involved digital imaging and intelligent character recognition.
