Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines
Philippines: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 25.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines is 25.3%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines peaked at 30.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2020.
That places Philippines 94th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 29.0% | — |
| 1955 | 28.2% | -2.7% |
| 1960 | 27.5% | -2.6% |
| 1965 | 27.0% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 27.1% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 29.6% | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 29.8% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 29.5% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 29.7% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 30.1% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 28.4% | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 27.3% | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 26.7% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 25.8% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 25.3% | -1.9% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 25.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.9%, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 25.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.2%, 90% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 28.6% | 28.2% | 29.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 27.3% | 27.0% | 27.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 28.4% | 27.1% | 29.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 29.7% | 29.5% | 29.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 29.9% | 29.7% | 30.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.8% | 27.3% | 28.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 26.2% | 25.8% | 26.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 25.3% | 25.3% | 25.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More population data for Philippines
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0898 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6532 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.167 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6532 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.22 million people (2100)
- Population density 383.08 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6047 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.32 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Philippines was 25.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2020.
- How does Philippines rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Philippines ranks 94th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.