Map of Philippines | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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. Led by Emilio AGUINALDO, the Filipinos conducted an insurgency against American rule from 1899-1902, although some fighting continued in outlying islands as late as 1913. 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 June 2016. During his six-year term, DUTERTE pursued a controversial drug war that garnered international criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Ferdinand MARCOS Jr., the son of MARCOS Sr., was elected president in May 2022 with the largest popular vote in a presidential election since his father's ouster.


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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: 1,830 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 36,289 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea as wide as 285 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: to the depth of exploitation

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

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

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

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 41% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 18.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 17.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 5% (2018 est.)
Forest: 25.9% (2018 est.)
Other: 33.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 16,270 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 8.16 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 9.88 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 67.83 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 479 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms each year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

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
Note note 2: Philippines is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
Note note 3: the Philippines sits astride the Pacific typhoon belt and an average of 9 typhoons make landfall on the islands each year - with about 5 of these being destructive; the country is the most exposed in the world to tropical storms


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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: 116,434,200 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.58% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 16.7% (2018 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Filipino(s)
Adjective: Philippine

Ethnic groups: Tagalog 26%, Bisaya/Binisaya 14.3%, Ilocano 8%, Cebuano 8%, Illonggo 7.9%, Bikol/Bicol 6.5%, Waray 3.8%, Kapampangan 3%, Maguindanao 1.9%, Pangasinan 1.9%, other local ethnicities 18.5%, foreign ethnicities 0.2% (2020 est.)

Languages: Tagalog 39.9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 16%, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo 7.3%, Ilocano 7.1%, Cebuano 6.5%, Bikol/Bicol 3.9%, Waray 2.6%, Kapampangan 2.4%, Maguindanao 1.4%, Pangasinan/Panggalato 1.3%, other languages/dialects 11.2%, unspecified 0.4% (2020 est.)
Major-language samples:
Note: data represent percentage of households; unspecified Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English are official languagesTaga; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Religions: Roman Catholic 78.8%, Muslim 6.4%, Iglesia ni Cristo 2.6%, other Christian 3.9%, other 8.2%, none/unspecified <0.1 (2020 est.)

Demographic profile: The Philippines is an ethnically diverse country that is in the early stages of demographic transition. Its fertility rate has dropped steadily since the 1950s. The decline was more rapid after the introduction of a national population program in the 1970s in large part due to the increased use of modern contraceptive methods, but fertility has decreased more slowly in recent years. The country’s total fertility rate (TFR) - the average number of births per woman - dropped below 5 in the 1980s, below 4 in the 1990s, and below 3 in the 2010s. TFR continues to be above replacement level at 2.9 and even higher among the poor, rural residents, and the less-educated.  Significant reasons for elevated TFR are the desire for more than two children, in part because children are a means of financial assistance and security for parents as they age, particularly among the poor.

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.49% (male 18,133,279/female 17,366,394)
15-64 years: 64.06% (male 37,667,819/female 36,923,236)
65 years and over: 5.45% (2023 est.) (male 2,516,561/female 3,826,911)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.2
Youth dependency ratio: 47.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.3
Potential support ratio: 12 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 25.4 years (2023 est.)
Male: 24.9 years
Female: 26 years

Population growth rate: 1.58% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 22.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

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: 48.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.04% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 14.667 million MANILA (capital), 1.949 million Davao, 1.025 million Cebu City, 931,000 Zamboanga, 960,000 Antipolo, 803,000 Cagayan de Oro City, 803,000 Dasmarinas (2023)

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, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 22.45 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 122.29 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 51.32 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23.6 years (2022 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 78 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 22.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 24.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 19.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 67 years
Female: 74.2 years

Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 54.1% (2017)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.1% of population
Improved rural: 95% of population
Improved total: 97% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.9% of population
Unimproved rural: 5% of population
Unimproved total: 3% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.1% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.77 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1 beds/1,000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Water contact diseases: leptospirosis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 6.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 4.85 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 1.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 3.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 22.9% (2020 est.)
Male: 39.3% (2020 est.)
Female: 6.5% (2020 est.)

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

Education expenditures: 3.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96.3%
Male: 95.7%
Female: 96.9% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9%


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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 Ferdinand "BongBong" MARCOS, Jr. (since 30 June 2022); Vice President Sara DUTERTE-Carpio (since 30 June 2022); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Ferdinand "BongBong" MARCOS, Jr. (since 30 June 2022); Vice President Sara DUTERTE-Carpio (since 30 June 2022)
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
Elections/appointments: 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 2022 (next to be held on 9 May 2,028)
Election results:

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:

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 email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador MaryKay Loss CARLSON (since 22 July 2022)
From the us embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila 1000
From the us mailing address: 8,600 Manila Place, Washington DC 20,521-8,600
From the us telephone: [63] (2) 5,301-2000
From the us FAX: [63] (2) 5,301-2017
From the us email address and website:

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)
Lyrics/music: 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
Total World Heritage Sites: 6 (3 cultural, 3 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: diversified, growing East Asian economy; major semiconductor, ship-building, and electronics exporter; significant remittances; COVID-19 hit consumption and investments hard; regional tensions with China; major geothermal energy user

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

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: sugar cane, rice, coconuts, maize, bananas, vegetables, tropical fruit, plantains, pineapples, 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: 8.49% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 44.242 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7.3% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 6.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 9%

Population below poverty line: 16.7% (2018 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 42.3 (2018 est.)

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: $71.173 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $90.953 billion (2020 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -2.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 13.95% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.18% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0.07% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

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:

Exports:
Partners: China 16%, United States 14%, Japan 12%, Hong Kong 12%, Singapore 7% (2021)
Commodities: integrated circuits, office machinery/parts, insulated wiring, transformers, semiconductors (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 29%, Japan 8%, South Korea 7%, United States 6%, Singapore 6%, Indonesia 6%, Thailand 5%, Taiwan 5% (2019)
Commodities: integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars, crude petroleum, broadcasting equipment (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 3 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 97.4% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 98.6% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 96.4% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 27.885 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 90,926,990,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 9.994 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 77.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 11% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 13.752 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 32.855 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 7.554 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 28.358 million metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 361 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 10,300 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 527,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 12,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 232,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 138.5 million barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 215,500 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 26,710 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 211,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 3,632,507,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 3,632,507,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 98.542 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 142.282 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 70.82 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 64.418 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 7.044 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 19.261 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,884,608 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 163,345,244 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 143 (2021 est.)

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: 58.3 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 53% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,936,574 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note 1: the PCG is an armed and uniformed service that would be attached to the AFP during a conflict
Note 2: the Philippine Government also arms and supports civilian militias; the AFP controls Civilian Armed Force Geographical Units, while the Civilian Volunteer Organizations fall under PNP command

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2023)
Note: as of 2020, women made up about 6% of the active military; women were allowed to enter the Philippine Military Academy and train as combat soldiers in 1993

Space program
Overview: has a small and ambitious space program focused on acquiring satellites and related technologies, largely for the areas of climate studies, national security, and risk management; also prioritizing development of the country’s space expertise and industry; manufactures and operates satellites (mostly micro- and nano-sized), including remote sensing (RS) and scientific/experimental; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, the European Space Agency and some of its member states, Japan, Russia, and the US (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Abu Sayyaf Group; Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - East Asia (ISIS-EA) in the Philippines
Note 1: 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 terrorist organizations


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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 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: RP

Airports: 247 (2021)
With paved runways: 89
With paved runways civil airports: 11
With paved runways military airports: 4
With paved runways joint use (civil-military) airports: 2
With paved runways other airports: 72
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 158
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 2 (2021)

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

Railways
Total: 77 km (2017)
Standard gauge: 49 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 28 km (2017) 1.067-m gauge

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

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

Merchant marine
Total: 1,853 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 59, container ship 43, general cargo 749, oil tanker 210, other 792

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila
Container ports teus: Manila (4,976,014) (2021)
Lng terminals import: Batangas


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Disputes international: Philippines-Taiwan-China-Malaysia-Vietnam: 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 102,000 (government troops fighting the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the New People's Army; clan feuds; armed attacks, political violence, and communal tensions in Mindanao) (2022)
Stateless persons: 261 (2022); note - stateless persons are descendants of Indonesian migrants

Illicit drugs: Illegal drugs, including methamphetamine hydrochloride, cannabis, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MMDA, or "ecstasy") enter the Philippines from the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Laos, and Burma); drugs entering the Philippines are used locally and transported to other countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania; Chinese transnational organizations are the principal supplier of methamphetamine;  not a significant source or transit country for drugs entering the United States