Map of Philippines | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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. 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. In 1942 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. A 21-year rule by Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a 'people power' movement in Manila ('EDSA 1') forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts that prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. His administration was marked by increased stability and by progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 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 to a six-year term as president in May 2004. Her presidency was marred by several corruption allegations but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction following the 2008 global financial crisis, expanding each year of her administration. Benigno AQUINO III was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2010 and was succeeded by Rodrigo DUTERTE in May 2016.


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

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 122 00 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 300,000 km²
Land: 298,170 km²
Water: 1830 km²
Rank: 74
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 36,289 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

Elevation
Mean elevation: 442 m
Lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m
Highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m

Natural resources: timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper

Land use
Agricultural land: 41% (2011 est.)
Forest: 25.9% (2011 est.)
Other: 33.1% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 16,270 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms each year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamisvolcanism: significant volcanic activity; Taal (311 m), which has shown recent unrest and may erupt in the near future, 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 forcing 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'

Geography
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; the country is favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait


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Population
Distribution: population concentrated where good farmlands lie; 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 entire national population: 109,180,815 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 12
Growth rate: 1.52% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 67
Below poverty line: 21.6% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Filipino(s)
Adjective: Philippine

Ethnic groups: Tagalog 24.4%, Bisaya/Binisaya 11.4%, Cebuano 9.9%, Ilocano 8.8%, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo 8.4%, Bikol/Bicol 6.8%, Waray 4%, other local ethnicity 26.1%, other foreign ethnicity .1% (2010 est.)

Languages: unspecified Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Religions: Roman Catholic 80.6%, Protestant 8.2% (includes Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches 2.7%, National Council of Churches in the Philippines 1.2%, other Protestant 4.3%), other Christian 3.4%, Muslim 5.6%, tribal religions .2%, other 1.9%, none .1% (2010 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 32.42% (male 18,060,976/female 17,331,781)
15-24 years: 19.16% (male 10,680,325/female 10,243,047)
25-54 years: 37.37% (male 20,777,741/female 20,027,153)
55-64 years: 6.18% (male 3,116,485/female 3,633,301)
65 years and over: 4.86% (male 2,155,840/female 3,154,166) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.2
Youth dependency ratio: 46.6
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.6
Potential support ratio: 11.7 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.1 years
Male: 23.6 years
Female: 24.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 168

Population growth rate: 1.52% (2020 est.)
Rank: 67

Birth rate: 22.9 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 59

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 165

Net migration rate: -1.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 163

Population distribution: population concentrated where good farmlands lie; 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 entire national population

Urbanization
Urban population: 47.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.99% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 13.923 million MANILA (capital), 1.825 million Davao, 980,000 Cebu City, 917,000 Zamboanga, 881,000 Antipolo, 753,000 Cagayan de Oro City (2020)

Environment
Current issues: uncontrolled 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 that are important fish breeding grounds; coastal erosion; dynamite fishing; wildlife extinction
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 22.8 years (2017 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 20 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 17 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 76

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70 years
Male: 66.5 years
Female: 73.8 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 166

Total fertility rate: 2.92 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 53

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 54.1% (2017)

Drinking water source
Urban: 2.3% of population
Rural: 7.3% of population
Total: 4.6% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.4% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.6 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 1 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 5% of population
Rural: 11.8% of population
Total: 8.6% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 131
People living with hivaids: 97,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 47
Deaths: 1600 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 49

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Water contact diseases: leptospirosis: note - on 8 October 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice regarding a polio outbreak in the Philippines; CDC recommends that all travelers to the Philippines be vaccinated fully against polio; before traveling to the Philippines, adults who completed their routine polio vaccine series as children should receive a single, lifetime adult booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 6.4% (2016)
Rank: 168

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 19.1% (2018)
Rank: 26

Education expenditures
Note: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.2%
Male: 98.1%
Female: 98.2% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 15 years (2017)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines
Conventional short form: Philippines
Local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas
Local short form: Pilipinas
Etymology: named in honor of King PHILLIP II of Spain by Spanish explorer Ruy LOPEZ de VILLALOBOS, who visited some of the islands in 1543

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Manila
Geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 120 58 E
Time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: derives from the Tagalog 'may-nila' meaning 'where there is indigo' and refers to the presence of indigo-yielding plants growing in the area surrounding the original settlement

Administrative divisions: 81 provinces and 38 chartered cities

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 July 1946 (from the US)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was date of independence from the US

Constitution
History: several previous; latest ratified 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Amendments: proposed by Congress if supported by three fourths of the membership, by a constitutional convention called by Congress, or by public petition; passage by either of the three proposal methods requires a majority vote in a national referendum; note - the constitution has not been amended since its enactment in 1987

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil, common, Islamic (sharia), and customary law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; withdrew from the ICCt in March 2019

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Philippines
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rodrigo DUTERTE (since 30 June 2016); Vice President Leni ROBREDO (since 30 June 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Rodrigo DUTERTE (since 30 June 2016); Vice President Leni ROBREDO (since 30 June 2016)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with the consent of the Commission of Appointments, an independent body of 25 Congressional members including the Senate president (ex officio chairman), appointed by the president 
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on separate ballots by simple majority popular vote for a single 6-year term; election last held on 9 May 2016 (next to be held in May 2022)
Election results: Rodrigo DUTERTE elected president; percent of vote - Rodrigo DUTERTE (PDP-Laban) 39%, Manuel Mar ROXAS (LP) 23.5%, Grace POE (independent) 21.4%, Jejomar BINAY (UNA) 12.7%, Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO (PRP) 3.4%; Leni ROBREDO elected vice president; percent of vote Leni ROBREDO (LP) 35.1%, Bongbong MARCOS (independent) 34.5%, Alan CAYETANO 14.4%, Francis ESCUDERO (independent) 12%, Antonio TRILLANES (independent) 2.1%, Gregorio HONASAN (UNA) 1.9%

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of a chief justice and 14 associate justices)
Judge selection and term of office: justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council, a constitutionally created, 6-member body that recommends Supreme Court nominees; justices serve until age 70
Subordinate courts: Court of Appeals; Sandiganbayan (special court for corruption cases of government officials); Court of Tax Appeals; regional, metropolitan, and municipal trial courts; sharia courts

Political parties and leaders: Akbayon [Machris CABREROS]Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]Lakas ng EDSA-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD [Ferdinand Martin ROMUALDEZ]Liberal Party or LP [Francis PANGILINAN]Nacionalista Party or NP [Manuel 'Manny' VILLAR]Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC [Eduardo COJUNGCO, Jr.]National Unity Party or NUP [Albert GARCIA]PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL III]People's Reform Party or PRP [Narcisco SANTIAGO]Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]United Nationalist Alliance or UNA

International organization participation: ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CD, CICA (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Manuel del Gallego ROMUALDEZ (since 29 November 2017)
In the us chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 467-9,300
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 328-7,614
In the us consulate: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), San Francisco, Tamuning (Guam)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sung KIM (since 6 December 2016)
From the us telephone: [63] (2) 301-2000
From the us embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila 1000
From the us mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96,515-1000
From the us FAX: [63] (2) 301-2017

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red; a white equilateral triangle is based on the hoist side; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star; blue stands for peace and justice, red symbolizes courage, the white equal-sided triangle represents equality; the rays recall the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain, while the stars represent the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897
Note: in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top

National symbols: three stars and sun, Philippine eagle; national colors: red, white, blue, yellow

National anthem
Name: Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land)
Lyricsmusic: Jose PALMA (revised by Felipe PADILLA de Leon)/Julian FELIPE
Note: music adopted 1898, original Spanish lyrics adopted 1899, Filipino (Tagalog) lyrics adopted 1956; although the original lyrics were written in Spanish, later English and Filipino versions were created; today, only the Filipino version is used

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 29

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 175

Gross national saving:
Rank: 67

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 73.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 31% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -40.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 9.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 30.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 59.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, fish, livestock, poultry, bananas, coconut/copra, corn, sugarcane, mangoes, pineapple, cassava

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (2017 est.)
Rank: 30

Labor force: 41.533 million (2020 est.)
Rank: 14
By occupation agriculture: 25.4%
By occupation industry: 18.3%
By occupation services: 56.3% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 82

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21.6% (2017 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.2%
Highest 10: 29.5% (2015 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 49.07 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 56.02 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 109

Taxes and other revenues: 15.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 188

Public debt:
Rank: 128

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 126

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 176

Exports:
Rank: 39
Partners: Japan 16.4%, US 14.6%, Hong Kong 13.7%, China 11%, Singapore 6.1%, Thailand 4.3%, Germany 4.1%, South Korea 4% (2017)
Commodities: semiconductors and electronic products, machinery and transport equipment, wood manufactures, chemicals, processed food and beverages, garments, coconut oil, copper concentrates, seafood, bananas/fruits

Imports:
Rank: 37
Commodities: electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic
Partners: China 18.1%, Japan 11.4%, South Korea 8.8%, US 7.4%, Thailand 7.1%, Indonesia 6.7%, Singapore 5.9% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 29

Debt external:
Rank: 57

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 4 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 96% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 100% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 93% (2019)
Production: 86.59 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 36
Consumption: 78.3 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 37
Exports: 0 kWh (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 184
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 186
Installed generating capacity: 22.13 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 39
Generation sources fossil fuels: 67% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 115
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 165
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 17% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 97
Generation sources other renewable sources: 16% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 54

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 13,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 76
Crude oil exports: 16,450 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 52
Crude oil imports: 211,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 30
Crude oil proven reserves: 138.5 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 64

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 215,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 50
Products consumption: 424,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 36
Products exports: 26,710 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 65
Products imports: 211,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 33

Natural gas
Production: 3.058 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 58
Consumption: 3.143 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 72
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 168
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 175
Proven reserves: 98.54 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 51

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 117.2 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 38

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,140,108
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3.85 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 33
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 166,421,595
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 154.76 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 10

Telephone system

Broadcast media: multiple national private TV and radio networks; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; more than 400 TV stations; about 1,500 cable TV providers with more than 2 million subscribers, and some 1,400 radio stations; the Philippines adopted Japan’s Integrated Service Digital Broadcast - Terrestrial standard for digital terrestrial television in November 2013 and is scheduled to complete the switch from analog to digital broadcasting by the end of 2023 (2019)

Internet
Country code: .ph
Users total: 63,588,975
Users percent of population: 60.05% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 12

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,919,713
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2018 est.)
Rank: 37


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 118

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18-23 years of age (officers 21-29) for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Abu Sayyaf Group; Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - East Asia (ISIS-EA) in the Philippines (2020)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 13 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 200
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 43,080,118 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 835.9 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: RP (2016)

Airports: 247 (2013)
Rank: 24
With paved runways total: 89 (2019)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 33
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 34
With paved runways under 914 m: 10
With unpaved runways total: 158 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 56 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 99 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: 530 km gas, 138 km oil (non-operational), 185 km refined products (2017)

Railways
Total: 77 km (2017)
Standard gauge: 49 km
Note: 1.067-m gauge (2017)
Narrow gauge: 28 km
Rank: 129

Roadways
Total: 216,387 km (2014)
Paved: 61,093 km (2014)
Unpaved: 155,294 km (2014)
Rank: 25

Waterways: 3,219 km
Note: (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2011)
Rank: 30

Merchant marine
Total: 1706
By type: bulk carrier 54, container ship 46, general cargo 685, oil tanker 197, other 724 (2019)
Rank: 17

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila
Container port: Manila (4,782,240) (2017)


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Disputes international: Philippines claims sovereignty over Scarborough Reef (also claimed by China together with Taiwan) and over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 'Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,' has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding 'code of conduct' desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 182,000 (government troops fighting the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the New Peoples Army; clan feuds; armed attacks, political violence, and communal tensions in Mindanao) (2019)
Stateless persons: 383 (2019); note - stateless persons are descendants of Indonesian migrants

Illicit drugs: domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years despite government crackdowns; major consumer of amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas where Manila's control is limited