Philippine cities with over 1M population to nearly triple by 2025

MANILA, Philippines - From only four in 2010, the number of Philippine cities projected to have population of more than one million is expected to nearly double by 2020 and nearly triple by 2025, a new report by global property platform Lamudi showed.

Lamudi Philippines said the population in seven cities in the country are expected to breach the one million mark by 2020, while of 11 cities are seen housing a population of over one million by 2025.

Quezon City, which had the highest population at 2.76 million based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data in 2010, is still projected be the most populous city by 2020 and 2025 with the number of residents seen soaring to 3.51 million and 3.95 million, respectively.

However, Lamudi Philippines said the roster of the top 10 most populous Philippine cities in 2010 would be quite different with that predicted for 2020.

Lamudi Philippines said Manila, for instance, would be overtaken by Caloocan and Davao by 2020.

“These two cities’ populations are growing rapidly and are predicted to surge to 1.88 and 1.83 million, respectively, while Manila’s is predicted to increase to 1.72 million. According to the data from the PSA, these three cities’ populations grow on average 2.37, 2.36, and 0.44 percent per year, respectively,” the property portal said.

Aside from Quezon, Manila, Caloocan and Davao which already had over a million residents each as of 2010, cities like Zamboanga, Cebu and Antipolo are seen joining that list by 2020.

By 2025, the cities of Dasmarinas, Taguig, Bacoor, and Pasig will bring the country’s total number of cities which have a population of more than one million to 11.

According to the report, it is safe to assume that the cities’ respective population growth will behave the same way even though the 2010 annual growth rates are expected to change after the results of the 2015 Population and Household Census are made available in early 2016.

Jacqueline van den Ende, managing director of Lamudi Philippines, said the findings of the report revealed cities which are growing really fast are those also popular with online property-hunters or where massive real estate projects are currently underway.

“Quezon City, for example, is still the Philippines’ most searched city for properties. It is also here where many real estate projects are currently underway, such as Vertis North and Cloverleaf, two township projects by Ayala Land,” Van den Ende said.