Where the People Are: Using Census Data to Grow Smarter
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently released the results of the 2024 Census of Population, reporting that the country’s population has grown to 112.7 million, up by 3.69 million from 109.04 million in 2020. This represents a significant slowdown in the country’s annual population growth rate (PGR) which is now at 0.80% from 2020 to 2024, compared to 1.63% between 2015 and 2020.
According to PSA, this deceleration may be attributed to a combination of factors, including declining birth and fertility rates, higher mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a drop in migration activities during recent years. The trend suggests that population growth is stabilizing, which has implications for economic planning, social services, and local markets.
Among the country’s 18 administrative regions, CALABARZON (Region IV-A) continues to be the most populated with 16.93 million people, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 14.00 million, and Central Luzon (Region III) with 12.99 million. Together, these three regions account for roughly 39% of the country’s total population. Additionally, six other regions now have populations exceeding five million, indicating broader urban and economic growth across the country.
The census tells us where people live and how many there are in each area. For example, CALABARZON is still the most populated region, and Quezon City remains the largest city in terms of residents. This means these places may have larger markets and more potential customers. If you’re running a food stall, a sari-sari store, or selling products online, this data helps you decide:
- Where to open your next branch,
- Which cities or provinces to target in your online ads,
- Where to look for resellers or distributors
A small coffee shop in Batangas can use the data to identify growing towns nearby—like Sto. Tomas or Lipa—with increasing population and new residential areas. That’s a good place to consider setting up a second branch or offering delivery.
Population data doesn’t just help you find customers—it also helps you find workers. The census shows which areas have many working-age people or growing youth populations who may be looking for jobs.
A garments business in Cebu can look at the census to find nearby towns with a young, trainable workforce, and coordinate with local TESDA centers to train sewing operators.
If you’re planning to expand, this information helps you choose locations with enough people to fill jobs in your business.
Soon, PSA will release more detailed data—like the average age of people in each area, household sizes, and housing conditions. This helps you understand what your market needs.
If you sell affordable school supplies and find out that a town has a large population of children and youth, that’s a clear opportunity. If the area is aging, perhaps you can explore products for seniors, such as health drinks, walking canes, or home services.
Your local government uses census data to plan projects and decide how to spend its budget. You can use the same data to propose projects or request support for MSMEs in your area.
A group of home-based food processors can use population data to show that their barangay has a large number of residents and ask the LGU for support in building a shared kitchen facility or market stall.
Knowing your community’s demographics makes your request stronger and evidence-based.