Population in the largest city in Philippines
Philippines: Population in the largest city was 23.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
23.4%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
105th
of 153 countries
All-time high
36.6%
in 1980
All-time low
23.0%
in 2020
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Philippines, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Philippines stood at 23.4%.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Philippines peaked at 36.6% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 23.0%, in 2020.
Philippines ranks 105th of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 27.2% | — |
| 1961 | 27.3% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 27.4% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 27.6% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 27.8% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 28.0% | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 28.2% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 28.5% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 28.8% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 29.0% | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 29.5% | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 30.7% | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 32.0% | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 33.4% | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 34.8% | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 36.1% | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 36.2% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 36.3% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 36.4% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 36.5% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 36.6% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 36.5% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 36.4% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 36.2% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 35.9% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 35.8% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 35.7% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 35.6% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 35.4% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 35.3% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 35.2% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 35.3% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 35.4% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 35.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 35.6% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 35.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 34.3% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 33.5% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 32.7% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 32.0% | -2.2% |
| 2001 | 31.4% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 30.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 30.5% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 30.0% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 29.6% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 29.2% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 28.4% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 27.8% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 27.1% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 26.3% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 25.6% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 24.8% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 24.3% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 23.9% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 23.0% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 23.0% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 23.1% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 23.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 23.3% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 23.4% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.0% | 27.2% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 34.2% | 29.5% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.9% | 35.3% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.8% | 32.7% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.8% | 27.8% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.5% | 23.0% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.1% | 23.0% | 23.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More urban development data for Philippines
- Population density 385.32 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 22.21 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1478 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 17.26 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 55.73 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 15.23 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 1.79 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 182.84 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Philippines?
- Population in the largest city in Philippines was 23.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 36.6% in 1980.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.0% in 2020.
- How does Philippines rank for population in the largest city?
- Philippines ranks 105th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.