CEBU, Philippines - Cebu is the country's fifth most populated province, according to the August 2015 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on PSA data, Cebu province has a population of 2,939,000, trailing behind Cavite with 3.68 million people, Bulacan with 3.29 million, Laguna with 3 million, and Pangasinan with 2.9 million.
The other provinces that surpassed the 1 million population mark in the recent census include Rizal - 2.8 million, Batangas - 2.6 million, Negros Occidental - 2.4 million, Pampanga - 2.1 million, Nueva Ecija - 2.1 million, Camarines Sur - 1.9 million, Iloilo - 1.9 million, Quezon - 1.8 million, Leyte - 1.7 million, Isabela - 1.5 million, Bukidnon - 1.4 million, Cotabato (North Cotabato) - 1.3 million, Tarlac - 1.3 million, Negros Oriental - 1.3 million, Albay - 1.3 million, Bohol - 1.3 million, Cagayan - 1.1 million, Maguindanao - 1.1 million, Lanao del Sur - 1,045 million, Davao del Norte -1,016 million, Zamboanga del Norte - 1,011 million, and Zamboanga del Sur - 1,011 million.
The figure in Cebu province does not include numbers from the highly urbanized cities here, including Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City.
Cebu City has a population of 922,611; Mandaue City has 362,654; and Lapu-Lapu City has 408,112.
In Cebu City, the most populated barangay is Guadalupe with 61,238 residents.
In the 2002 census, Cebu province ranked second with a population of 2,377,588.
In the recent data, the country's population reached 100,981,437. This increased by 8.64 million from the 92.34 million in 2010. (FREEMAN)