Population Challenges
Figure 10: Manila Skyline (Wikipedia)
Although the population growth in the Philippines is slowing, the population is becoming increasingly more urban. Therefore, population density in metropolitan areas such as the capital, Manila, and in neighbouring areas of central Luzon, is very high. In contrast, Mindanao, Negros and other islands of the Philippines (especially in the south), are sparsely populated. The proportion of the population living in rural areas has decreased, from 70% in 1960 to 48% in 2000 (Economist Intelligence Unit).
Figure 11: Compartive Graph of Urban Population (% of total) and Population Growth (Annual %) (Source: Gapminder)
Overpopulation in Urban Areas
Figure 12: Population Density Map per Province - Philippines, 2009 (Wikimedia)
On average, there are 41,282 people per square kilometre but in some slum regions there are as many as 88,000 people living per square kilometre. In the graph to the right, Manila is shown to be the darkest province in all of the Philippines, indicating it's high population density. With so many residents, the city’s resources are strained and a large part of Manila’s 11 million residents lack clean drinking water, work and access to healthcare and education. They also deal with the daily problems of high congestion.
The city's wealthy residents live in spacious gated communities of Manila and often work in glass tower blocks in the city's financial district. They are also able to send their children to elite private schools. been able to buy themselves out of Manila's worst problems. The city's population is exploding because if one wants development and prosperity in the Philippines, one must come to the capital. These people arrive to find few jobs and nowhere to live. The video below depicts the situations in which people are living in the overpopulated city of Manila.
