Population growth
Like the rest of the world, the Philippines is experiencing a major demographic explosion: while the archipelago had fewer than 30 million inhabitants in 1960, the population will exceed 114 million by 2023! Today, almost half the population - around 47.5% - is urban. And the rural population is declining year on year: it was 70% in the 1960s. Indeed, cities offer better job opportunities and wages than rural and isolated areas. The archipelago has an average population density of 370 inhabitants/km2, which varies enormously from region to region. In the city of Manila, it reaches 43,000 inhabitants/km2! Average life expectancy is 71.7 years, with a significant gap between women (74.7 years at birth) and men (68.7 years).
This demographic growth is driving population growth in the country's major cities, starting with the capital, Manila. With a population of 30 million, the extended urban area of Manila (known as Metro Manila) on Luzon, where the government is based, is home to over 20% of the archipelago's population. It ranks fourth among the world's most densely populated conurbations, behind Tokyo, Sao Paulo and Jakarta. This high density in the Manila metropolitan area accentuates the problems associated with a lack of infrastructure, housing, public transport, traffic jams and, of course, major pollution problems. The island of Luzon, in its entirety, is home to half of the Philippine population, i.e. over 60 million people. This makes it the fourth most populous island in the world.
A still young but aging population
Between 2017 and 2023, the Philippines saw the biggest drop in fertility rates ever recorded in the country. In 2017, the average was 2.6 children per woman; by 2023, it had fallen to around 1.9 children per woman. It should be borne in mind that this corresponds to the COVID period and was therefore probably a period of uncertainty. By way of comparison, the birth rate in France is 1.8 children per woman. The Philippines is one of the Asian countries to have maintained a young population for a very long time. The median age, although constantly rising - it was 20.5 in 2000 and 16.5 in 1960 - is currently 25.7. By comparison, the median age in Japan, where the population is clearly ageing, is 48.7. The combination of these data - declining fertility rates and a youthful population - is rather promising for the future of the Filipinos. Indeed, this young population is on the job market and contributing to the country's economic growth. Moreover, with fewer children per household, each child receives more from his or her parents, which may also help the population to escape the country's unfortunately high poverty rate (over 25%).
However, from a global point of view, it should be remembered that the world's population will pass the 8 billion mark in 2022 and continue to grow considerably, accentuating environmental problems, inequalities and access to food. In the case of the Philippines, several legislative proposals have already attempted to control the rate of growth by encouraging a limit on the number of births per woman, but these proposals continually come up against the opposition of the Catholic Church, which is dominant in the country. Only family planning policies have managed to develop, as best they can, sex education in the country.
Cultural melting pot
The origins of the Filipinos are essentially related to the populations of the Malay and Indonesian archipelagos, with Chinese, Arab and, of course, Spanish and American influences. A long history of Western colonial domination, interspersed with visits from merchants and traders, has given rise to a people with a unique blend of East and West. The Filipino character is in fact a bit of all cultures combined. Bayanihan, or the spirit of kinship and camaraderie for which Filipinos are renowned, is said to have come from their Malay ancestors. Close family relationships are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. Piety comes from the Spaniards, who introduced Christianity in the 16th century. Hospitality, cherished by most Filipinos, makes this people a legend in Southeast Asia. Indeed, it's rare to find such hospitable people who enjoy the company of their Western visitors. Finally, despite its economic progress, the country is still in the process of development.
A remarkable linguistic diversity
The Philippines is an extremely linguistically rich country, with no fewer than 170 languages spoken across its 7,000 islands. Filipino, also known as Filipino or Tagalog, is the national and official language, alongside English, which is also widely used and is the medium of instruction in higher education. The country is the fourth-largest English-speaking nation in the world. Tagalog (or Filipino) is in fact the language used nationwide as a language of communication, in the media for example, and between different ethnic groups. Like any living language, Tagalog is constantly developing, borrowing from other Filipino dialects and non-native languages for a variety of situations, between speakers of different social backgrounds, and for conversational and scholarly purposes. At school, lessons are taught in English and Tagalog, but in everyday life, everyone uses the dialect of their town or region, and it's not uncommon for a Filipino to master several dialects in addition to the two official languages.
There are no fewer than 130 dialects, the result of the many ethnolinguistic groups that populate the country. The ten most important are spoken by 90% of the population: tagalog (Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan, Marinduque), Cebuano (Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Negros, Mindanao), Ilocano (Luzon), Ilonggo (Panay, Romblon, Masbate, Negros, Guimaras, Mindanao), Bicolano (Luzon, Masbate), Pampangueño (Pampanga, Tarlac), Pangasinan (Luzon), Waray (Samar, Leyte) and Batangas (Rizal, Laguna, Mindoro). These are in fact regional languages and generic terms. For example, in reality, Bicolano does not exist as such, but is a generic term for all Bicolano dialects. Thus, in Legazpi, on Luzon, we speak Legazpi bicolano, and in Daraga (the next town over), we speak Daraga bicolano. And amazing as it may seem, the two languages are as close as German is to Italian!
The hundred or so other dialects, also known as indigenous languages, are spoken by much smaller communities than the ten main ones, which is why they are now considered to be in danger of extinction. This is due to their oral nature, the lack of documentation and studies on them, and the growing disinterest of young people, who prefer to focus on English and Tagalog. To preserve these languages, which are an integral part of the country's heritage and culture, preservation policies are being implemented (teaching, recording oral histories, studies). The 130 dialects share a common origin and are closely related. However, those who use them do not understand each other. Tribesmen have their own dialects. Some tribes understand and speak some Tagalog, but not English. Others, on the other hand, are more fluent in English than in Tagalog. The most privileged are the inhabitants of the Visayas. They speak Cebuano, Ilonggo and, of course, Tagalog. Luzon's inhabitants feel short-changed because they don't understand Visayan dialects. In regions that have seen waves of emigration, the practice of mixing dialects - Cebuano, Tagalog, English and others - is very common in conversation. Accustomed to juggling words and languages, Filipinos have invented Taglish, a mixture of Tagalog and English, a distortion that has become commonplace. Even TV presenters use it.
Ethnic minorities
The population of the Philippines consists of more than 6 million people belonging to what are called Filipino tribes, cultural communities or ethnic groups. Some pejorative terms were used against them by the colonists, such as "primitive", "uncivilized", "savage". After 350 years of Spanish colonization and 50 years of American colonization, many ethnic minorities have kept their specificity intact. These communities or micro-societies are distinguished from each other by differences in traditions, lifestyle and language. Ancestral customs remain at the heart of daily life. Beliefs, mostly animist, are the source of various rites and ceremonies. 60% of these communities are Muslim and located in Mindanao. The degree of social integration of these communities is sometimes very low, often the tribes only respect the authority of their chief. Justice is done according to their own morals. As examples, let's mention the Negritos of Central Luzon, the oldest aborigines of the country; the mountain tribes on Luzon such as the Ifugaos, Kalingas and Bontocs; the Mangyans, divided into 7 sub-groups, of Mindoro; the various tribes of Palawan such as the Bataks, the Tagbanuas or the Tau't Batus who were only discovered in 1978. Since then, they are in a kind of natural reserve delimited to protect the pacifist way of life of this animist society in harmony with nature. They have been living for centuries in the Signapan valley, at the foot (northwest) of Mount Mantalingajan, the highest mountain on the island (2,054 m). The island of Mindanao has the largest share of cultural minorities, consisting of many pagan and Muslim ethnic groups. The Muslims are also called Moros, the name that the Spaniards gave to the Arabs of Andalusia. They occupy central, western and southern Mindanao as well as the Sulu archipelago. Southeastern Mindanao, around Davao, contains the largest number of indigenous tribes of Mindanao Island such as the Bagobo, Manobo, Ata and Mandaya.
