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 20-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.The Philippine Government faces threats from several groups, some of which are on the US Government's Foreign Terrorist Organization list. Manila has waged a decades-long struggle against ethnic Moro insurgencies in the southern Philippines, which has led to a peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front and ongoing peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The decades-long Maoist-inspired New People's Army insurgency also operates through much of the country. In 2017, Philippine armed forces battled an ISIS-Philippines siege in Marawi City, driving DUTERTE to declare martial law in the region. The Philippines faces increased tension with China over disputed territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea.

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
Elevation extremes: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Philippine Sea

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)

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

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: 105,893,381 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 13
Growth rate: 1.55% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 70
Below poverty line: 21.6% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Filipino(s)
Adjective: Philippine

Ethnic groups: Tagalog 28.1%, 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%), Muslim 5.6%, tribal religions .2%, other 1.9%, none .1% (2010 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 33.07% (male 17,870,983 /female 17,151,096)
15-24 years: 19.17% (male 10,360,704 /female 9,934,798)
25-54 years: 37.11% (male 19,987,460 /female 19,312,673)
55-64 years: 6.04% (male 2,932,572 /female 3,462,832)
65 years and over: 4.61% (male 2,001,964 /female 2,878,299) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 58.2 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 51 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.2 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 13.8 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 23.7 years
Male: 23.3 years
Female: 24.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 169

Population growth rate: 1.55% (2018 est.)
Rank: 70

Birth rate: 23.4 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 58

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 160

Net migration rate: -2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 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: 46.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.99% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 13.482 million MANILA (capital), 1.745 million Davao, 956,000 Cebu City, 894,000 Zamboanga, 837,000 Antipolo (2018)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 20.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 23.8 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 17.9 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 79

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.6 years (2018 est.)
Male: 66.1 years (2018 est.)
Female: 73.3 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 162

Total fertility rate: 2.99 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 52

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.1% (2013)

Drinking water source
Urban: 6.3% of population
Rural: 9.7% of population
Total: 8.2% of population (2015 est.)

Hospital bed density: 1 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 22.1% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 29.2% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 26.1% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 117
People living with hivaids: 68,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 51
Deaths note: <1000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2016)
Water contact diseases: leptospirosis (2016)

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 21.5% (2015)
Rank: 24

Education expenditures: 2.7% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 160

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 96.3% (2015 est.)
Male: 95.8% (2015 est.)
Female: 96.8% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years (2013)
Male: 12 years (2013)
Female: 13 years (2013)

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)

Administrative divisions:

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 (2017)
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 (2017)

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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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%

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 embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila 1000
From the us mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96,515-1000
From the us telephone: [63] (2) 301-2000
From the us FAX: [63] (2) 301-2017

Flag description:

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

Economy overview: The economy has been relatively resilient to global economic shocks due to less exposure to troubled international securities, lower dependence on exports, relatively resilient domestic consumption, large remittances from about 10 million overseas Filipino workers and migrants, and a rapidly expanding services industry. During 2017, the current account balance fell into the negative range, the first time since the 2008 global financial crisis, in part due to an ambitious new infrastructure spending program announced this year. However, international reserves remain at comfortable levels and the banking system is stable.Efforts to improve tax administration and expenditures management have helped ease the Philippines' debt burden and tight fiscal situation. The Philippines received investment-grade credit ratings on its sovereign debt under the former AQUINO administration and has had little difficulty financing its budget deficits. However, weak absorptive capacity and implementation bottlenecks have prevented the government from maximizing its expenditure plans. Although it has improved, the low tax-to-GDP ratio remains a constraint to supporting increasingly higher spending levels and sustaining high and inclusive growth over the longer term.Economic growth has accelerated, averaging over 6% per year from 2011 to 2017, compared with 4.5% under the MACAPAGAL-ARROYO government; and competitiveness rankings have improved. Although 2017 saw a new record year for net foreign direct investment inflows, FDI to the Philippines has continued to lag regional peers, in part because the Philippine constitution and other laws limit foreign investment and restrict foreign ownership in important activities/sectors - such as land ownership and public utilities.Although the economy grew at a rapid pace under the AQUINO government, challenges to achieving more inclusive growth remain. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of the rich. The unemployment rate declined from 7.3% to 5.7% between 2010 and 2017; while there has been some improvement, underemployment remains high at around 17% to 18% of the employed population. At least 40% of the employed work in the informal sector. Poverty afflicts more than a fifth of the total population but is as high as 75% in some areas of the southern Philippines. More than 60% of the poor reside in rural areas, where the incidence of poverty (about 30%) is more severe - a challenge to raising rural farm and non-farm incomes. Continued efforts are needed to improve governance, the judicial system, the regulatory environment, the infrastructure, and the overall ease of doing business.2016 saw the election of President Rodrigo DUTERTE, who has pledged to make inclusive growth and poverty reduction his top priority. DUTERTE believes that illegal drug use, crime and corruption are key barriers to economic development. The administration wants to reduce the poverty rate to 17% and graduate the economy to upper-middle income status by the end of President DUTERTE’s term in 2022. Key themes under the government’s Ten-Point Socioeconomic Agenda include continuity of macroeconomic policy, tax reform, higher investments in infrastructure and human capital development, and improving competitiveness and the overall ease of doing business. The administration sees infrastructure shortcomings as a key barrier to sustained economic growth and has pledged to spend $165 billion on infrastructure by 2022. Although the final outcome has yet to be seen, the current administration is shepherding legislation for a comprehensive tax reform program to raise revenues for its ambitious infrastructure spending plan and to promote a more equitable and efficient tax system. However, the need to finance rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the southern region of Mindanao following the 2017 Marawi City siege may compete with other spending on infrastructure.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 29

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 29

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 148

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: 42.78 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 15
By occupation agriculture: 25.4%
By occupation industry: 18.3%
By occupation services: 56.3% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 86

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

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

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 45

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 131

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 101

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 130

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 47

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 47

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 45

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 29

Current account balance:
Rank: 173

Exports:
Rank: 52
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: 39
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:
Rank: 50

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 44

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 20.6 million (2013)
Access electrification total population: 88% (2013)
Access electrification urban areas: 94% (2013)
Access electrification rural areas: 82% (2013)
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: 116
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

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 15,000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 71
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

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

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 4,163,282 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 34
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 115,824,982 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 111 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 13

Telephone system
General assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate (2016)
Domestic: telecommunications infrastructure includes the following platforms: fixed line, mobile cellular, cable TV, over-the-air TV, radio and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), fiber-optic cable, and satellite for redundant international connectivity (2016)
International: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to the US, and to countries like Hong Kong, Guam, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Brunei, and Malaysia, among others; multiple international gateways (2016)

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 (2016)

Internet
Country code: .ph
Users total: 56,956,436 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 55.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 12

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,399,291 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2017 est.)
Rank: 35

Military expenditures:
Rank: 90

Military service age and obligation: 17-23 years of age (officers 20-24) for voluntary military service; no conscription; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens with either 72 college credit hours (enlisted) or a baccalaureate degree (officers) (2013)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 11 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 158 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 32,230,986 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 484,190,968
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: RP (2016)

Airports: 247 (2013)
Rank: 24
With paved runways total: 89 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 33 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 34 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2017)
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: 24

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

Merchant marine
Total: 1508 (2017)
By type: bulk carrier 64, container ship 33, general cargo 627, oil tanker 184, other 600 (2017)
Rank: 18

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila
Container port: Manila (4,523,339) (2016)

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 Vietnamthe 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 disputantsin March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly IslandsPhilippines 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 behalfmaritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 445,000 (government troops fighting the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the New Peoples Army; clan feuds; natural disasters) (2017)
Stateless persons: 2,678 (2017); 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