Census in the Philippines

National census

Philippine census

A census enumerator interviewing a resident of Dasmariñas in October 2020

Frequency| Every five years
Country| Philippines
Inaugurated| 1877; 148 years ago (1877)
Most recent| 2024; 1 year ago
Previous event| 2020; 5 years ago
Next event| 2030; 5 years' time (2030)
Organized by| Philippine Statistics Authority (since 2015)

The Philippine census is a regularly occurring and official inventory of the human population and housing units in the Philippines. Since 1970, the population has been enumerated every five years.[a] Results from the censuses are used to allocate congressional seats and fund government programs.

The mid-year census is known as the Census of Population (POPCEN), while the decennial census is referred to as the Census of Population and Housing (CPH).

By virtue of Republic Act No. 10625, known as the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013, censuses in the Philippines have been administered by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) since the 2015 census.[1]

## History

[edit]

The first census in the Philippines in 1591, was based on tributes collected and yielded about 666,712 people in the islands. In 1799, Friar Manuel Buzeta estimated the population count as 1,502,574. However, the first official census in the Philippines was carried out by the Spanish government pursuant to a royal decree calling for the counting of persons living as of the midnight of December 31, 1877. Based on this census, the Philippines had a population of 5,567,685 as of the reference date.[2] This was followed by another censuses, the 1887 census that yielded a count of 5,984,727.[3]

The first census conducted by the U.S. military forces took place in 1903 to fulfill Public Act 467 which was approved by the United States Philippine Commission on October 6, 1902.[4]

A four-volume description of this census was on hand some years ago at the National Archives in San Bruno, California, but the volumes appear to have since been misplaced.[citation needed]

## Statistics

[edit]

For years between the censuses, the PSA and its precursor agencies have been issuing estimates made using surveys and statistical systems.

Based on the 2020 Philippine census, the national population is 112,729,484 as of July 1, 2024. From 2020 to 2024, the population grew by 0.80% per year on the average.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Year[b] | Population[11][12] | Change  | Most populated region  | Most populated city  | Notes  | Organized by

|
|
|
|
|
|

1799 | 1,502,574[c] | —  | —  | —  | According to Fr. Buzeta  | —
1800 | 1,561,251[c] |  3.91%  | —  | —  | According to Fr. Zuniga  | —
1812 | 1,933,331[c] |  1.80 %  | —  | —  | According to cedulas  | —
1819 | 2,106,230[c] |  1.23%  | —  | —  | According to cedulas  | —
1829 | 2,593,287[c] |  2.10%  | —  | —  | According to the Church | —
1840 | 3,096,031[c] |  1.62%  | —  | —  | According to local officials  | —
1850 | 3,857,424[c] |  2.22%  | —  | —  | According to Fr. Buzeta  | —
1858 | 4,290,381[c] |  1.34%  | —  | —  | According to Bowring  | —
1870 | 4,712,006[c] |  0.78%  | —  | —  | According to Guia de Manila  | —
1877  | 5,567,685[c] |  2.41%  | —  | —  | First official census by the Spanish government  | Spanish colonial government
1887  | 5,984,727[c] |  0.72%  | —  | —  |
1896 | 6,261,339[c] |  0.50%  | —  | —  | According to Plehn  | —
1903  | 7,635,426  |  2.87%  | —  | Manila
(219,928)  | First official census by the US government  | United States government
1918  | 10,314,310  |  2.03%  | —  | Manila
(285,306)  |
1939  | 16,000,303  |  2.11%  | —  | Manila
(623,492)  | Only census of the Commonwealth of the Philippines
1948  | 19,234,182  |  2.07%  | —  | Manila
(983,906)  | First census of the independent Republic of the Philippines  | Bureau of the Census and Statistics
1960  | 27,087,685  |  2.89%  | —  | Manila
(1,138,611)  |
1970  | 36,684,486  |  3.08%  | —  | Manila
(1,330,788)  |
1975  | 42,070,660  |  2.79%  | —  | Manila
(1,479,116)  |  | National Census and Statistics Office
1980  | 48,098,460  |  2.71%  | Metro Manila
(5,925,884)  | Manila
(1,630,485)  |
1985  | No census was held due to a political and economic crisis
1990  | 60,703,206  |  2.36%  | Metro Manila
(7,948,392)  | Quezon City
(1,669,776)  |
1995  | 68,616,536  |  2.32%  | Metro Manila
(9,454,040)  | Quezon City
(1,989,419)  |  | National Statistics Office
2000  | 76,506,928  |  2.36%  | Metro Manila
(9,932,560)  | Quezon City
(2,173,831)  |
2007  | 88,566,732  |  2.04%  | Metro Manila
(11,553,427)  | Quezon City
(2,679,450)  | Originally planned for 2005 but postponed due to 2005-06 reenacted budget
2010  | 92,337,852  |  1.53%  | Calabarzon
(12,609,803)  | Quezon City
(2,761,720)  |
2015 | 100,981,437  |  1.72%  | Calabarzon
(14,414,774)  | Quezon City
(2,936,116)  | First census to record a population exceeding 100 million  | Philippine Statistics Authority
2020 | 109,035,343  |  1.63%  | Calabarzon
(16,195,042)  | Quezon City
(2,960,048)  | Only census conducted during COVID-19 pandemic
2024 | 112,729,484[13] |  0.80%  | Calabarzon
(16,933,234)  | Quezon City
(3,084,270)  |

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Except in 1985 (due to a crisis) and 2005 (due to a reenacted budget until 2006; census was later rescheduled to 2007).
2. ^ Years in italics indicate estimates.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Population figures until 1896 exclude non-Christians.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Republic Act No. 10625". www.lawphil.net. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
2. ^ "Census of Population | Philippine Statistics Authority". psa.gov.ph. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
3. ^ Aurora E. Perez (1997). "The Population of The Philippines" (PDF).
4. ^ "An act to provide for taking a census of the Philippine Islands". LawPH.com. n.d. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
5. ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
6. ^ "Philippine Statistics Authority | Republic of the Philippines". Retrieved July 23, 2021.
7. ^ "Highlights of the Philippine Population 2015 Census of Population". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
8. ^ Ordinario, Cai (April 17, 2008). "Population up to 88.57M in 2007". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
9. ^ [1] Manila Times Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
10. ^ 2007 Census Results CD-ROM, DISDiv NSO, Manila
11. ^ 2020 Philippine Statistical Yearbook (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2020. p. 76\. ISSN 0118-1564. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
12. ^ 2022 Philippine Statistical Yearbook (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2022. p. 59\. ISSN 0118-1564. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
13. ^ Marcos, Jr., Ferdinand. "Proclamation No. 973". Official Gazette. Presidential Communications Office (PCO). Retrieved 16 July 2025.

## External links

[edit]

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