Country Facts - Philippines

The People

Nationality

Filipino(s)

Ethnic Composition

Christian Malay	91.5%
Muslim Malay	4.0%
Chinese	1.5%
Other	3.0%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	83%
Protestant	9%
Muslim	5%
Buddhist and other	3%

Languages Spoken

Two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

Education and Literacy

The Philippines have one of the highest literacy rates in East Asia. About 95 percent of the population 10 years of age and older are literate, despite the multiplicity of languages.

Labor Force

Total: 32 million (2000)

By occupation:

Agriculture	39.8%
Government and social services	19.4%
Services	17.7%
Manufacturing	9.8%
Construction	5.8%
Other	7.5%

Geography

Land Mass Total

115,830 sq mi (300,000 sq km)

Land

115,124 sq mi (298,170 sq km)

Water

706 sq mi (1,830 sq km)

Land Boundaries

0 mi (0 km)

Coastline

22,548 mi (36,289 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate/Weather

Tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Terrain

Mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Philippine Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Mount Apo 9,691 ft (2,954 m)

Natural Resources

Timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper

Land use

Arable land	18%
Permanent crops	15%
Other	67%

(1998)

Natural hazards

The Philippines sit astride a typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by 5 to 6 cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis.

Environment - current issues

Uncontrolled deforestation in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in Manila; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps which are important fish breeding grounds.

Geography Note

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.

Demographics

Population

84,525,639 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	36.6%	Male: 15,731,451	Female: 15,169,264
15-64 years:	59.7%	Male: 24,990,500	Female: 25,478,245
65 years and over:	3.7%	Male: 1,399,862	Female: 1,756,317

(2002)))

Growth Rate

1.99% (2002)

Life Expectancy

68.12 years (2002)
Female: 71.12 years
Male: 65.26 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$335 billion (2001)

Infant Mortality

27.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.8 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.99 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

In 1998 the Philippine economy - a mixture of agriculture, light industry, and supporting services - deteriorated as a result of spillover from the Asian financial crisis and poor weather conditions. Growth fell to 0.6 percent in 1998 from 5 percent in 1997, but recovered to about 3 percent in 1999 and 4 percent in 2000. The government has promised to continue its economic reforms to help the Philippines match the pace of development in the newly industrialized countries of East Asia. The strategy includes improving infrastructure, overhauling the tax system to bolster government revenues, furthering deregulation and privatization of the economy, and increasing trade integration with the region. Prospects for 2002 were blunted by dependence on the subdued economic performance of two major trading partners, the U.S. and Japan. Growth for 2003 is expected to be 3.4 percent, and for 2004 rising up to 4.5 percent. One of the biggest problems faced by the government is poor tax collection procedures, which cause overseas debt requirements to increase. Remittances from its citizens working abroad have been reduced as well, due to general economic sluggishness in Asia.

Unemployment

10% (2001)

Inflation Rate

6% (2001)

Industries

Textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, electronics assembly, petroleum refining, fishing

Exports

US$37 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports

US$30 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$335 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

US 30%, Japan 15%, Netherlands 8%, Singapore 8%, Taiwan 8%, Hong Kong 5% (2000)

Top Import Partners

Japan 19%, US 16%, EU 9%, South Korea 8%, Singapore 6%, Taiwan 6% (2000)

Top Exports

Electronic equipment, machinery and transport equipment, garments, coconut products

Top Imports

Raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, consumer goods, fuels

Debt - external

US$50 billion (2001)

Economic aid

ODA, $1.1 billion (1998)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 5p.m. Offices may close for lunch between noon and 2p.m.	Saturday 8a.m. to noon.
Retail	9a.m. to 7p.m.	9a.m. to 7p.m. Some retail outlets work shorter hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Banks	9a.m. to 3p.m.	Closed
Government	8a.m. to 5p.m., or 9a.m. to 6p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
People's Power Day	February 22	February 22	February 22
Holy Thursday¹	April 17	April 8	March 24
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	March 25
Easter²	April 20	April 11	March 27
Bataan Day, Day of Valor	April 9	April 9	April 9
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Independence Day	June 12	June 12	June 12
Manila Day	June 24	June 24	June 24
National Heroes' Day	August 31	August 31	August 31
All Saints' Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Bonifacio's Day	November 30	November 30	November 30
Christmas Day³	December 25	December 8	December 8
Rizal Day	December 30	December 30	December 30
Bank Holiday	December 31	December 31	December 31

¹	Observed the Thursday before Easter. This feast commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, and is one of the oldest rituals of Christian Holy Week. Maundy, or Holy Thursday also marks the beginning of Passover.
²	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press