Philippines Cities by Population 2026

Philippines Overview

The largest city in Philippines is Quezon City, with a population of 2,967,838 people.

Philippines’ cities are spread across the country’s approximate 7,641 islands. These islands are divided into three geographical divisions — Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon. The country has a total of 145 chartered cities. The cities are divided in three ways. Highly Urbanized Cities have a population of over 200,000 and a minimum annual income. Independent Component Cities fall outside of provincial jurisdiction. ICCs, as they are known, are further divided into six brackets dependent on the city’s minimum income. Component Cities are similar to ICCs, with the main difference being that they are under provincial jurisdiction.

There are also a total of 82 provinces in the country and 1,493 municipalities that contribute to the country’s population, which is one of the highest in the world. It is likely that these numbers may change over the years, as the newest city of the Philippines, General Trias, was named a city at the end of 2015. Also in 2015, the country announced a planned city — Clark Green City — which is expected to attract a population of over 1 million people.

The majority of the country’s population live in rural areas. Data from 2010 show that over 54% of the total population live in rural areas, with the remaining percentage residing in the country’s urban areas. Despite that, the country still has seven cities with populations that have surpassed the 1 million resident milestone, including its most populous city, Quezon City, which has a population of over 3M people.