MM has 19,137 people per sq km

MANILA, Philippines  -Metro Manila has the highest population density among the country’s regions, with 19,137 persons per square kilometer in 2010, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

In a report posted on its website yesterday, the NSO said that the population density of Metro Manila is about 62 times higher than the national average of 308 persons per square kilometer.

The NSO said that the 2010 Metro Manila figure showed an increase of 3,105 persons per square kilometer (19.4 percent) from 16,032 persons per square kilometer in 2000.

The population density of Metro Manila was 12,830 persons per square kilometer in 1990.

Aside from Metro Manila, the other regions which beat the national population density of 308 persons per square kilometer were Region IV-A (Calabarzon) with 758 persons per square kilometer, Region III (Central Luzon) with 460 persons per square kilometer, Region VII (Central Visayas) with 428 persons per square kilometer, Region I (Ilocos) with 366 persons per square kilometer, and Region VI (Western Visayas) with 342 persons per square kilometer.

In contrast, it noted that three regions had a population density of less than 100 persons per square kilometer.

These are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 82 persons per square kilometer, Region IV-B (Mimaropa) with 93 persons per square kilometer, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 97 persons per square kilometer.

“Among the 80 provinces of the country, five had reached a population density of more than 1,000 persons per square kilometer in 2010,” the NSO also noted.

The province of Rizal was the most densely populated with 2,101 persons per square kilometer, followed by Cavite with a population density of 1,950 persons per square kilometer.

Laguna came in third with 1,392 persons per square kilometer.

Bulacan’s population density reached 1,046 persons per square kilometer, while Pampanga had 1,006 persons per square kilometer.

All the provinces in CAR except for Benguet, meanwhile, were among the 16 provinces with the least population density or those which had less than 100 persons per square kilometer.

Apayao was the most sparsely populated province with a population density of 26 persons per square kilometer. 

Palawan came in second with 53 persons per square kilometer, followed by Abra with 56 persons per square kilometer.

The population density of the rest of the 16 most sparsely populated provinces ranged from 62 persons per square kilometer in Kalinga to 97 persons per square kilometer in Maguindanao.