Country statistics

107 out of 189 in Human Development Index rankings (UNDP 2020) 

$9,450 Average salary per person (World Bank 2021) 

16% of the population live under the poverty line (UNDP, 2019) 

With a population of 100.8 million, the Philippines is made of 7,641 islands in South east Asia. Comprised mainly of mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands, the population is concentrated near good farmland (CIA Factbook, 2019). 

Over 4 million Filipino families are living in unsustainable conditions with a lack of safety and access to clean water and safe sanitation. More than 6 million housing units are needed by 2022 with the figure rising to over 12.3 million by 2030 (Habitat for Humanity, 2021). 

The Philippines is in the ‘Fire Belt’ in the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the most seismic countries in the world. It is also located in the East Asia Typhoon belt, making it highly prone to tropical cyclones, storms, and floods. About 4.4 million displacements from disasters were recorded in 2020. In addition to disasters, the southern region of the country is affected by conflict, resulting in about 111,000 displacements in 2020 (Internal Displacement, 2021). 

These disasters also contribute to food insecurity in the Philippines. In 2015 it was ranked 4/188 on the 2016 Global Climate Risk Index. The country experiences around 20 typhoons a year, with a number of them causing major damaging and trigger floods and landslides, which further exacerbates food insecurity (WFP, 2021).