Population in Philippines increased from 1990 to 2008 by approximately 28 million, a 45% growth in that time frame. The first official census in the Philippines was carried out in 1877 and recorded a population of 5,567,685.  As of 2011, the Philippines has become the world's 12th most populous nation, with a population of over 94 million. It is estimated that half of the population resides on the island of Luzon. The population growth rate between 1995 to 2000 of 3.21% decreased to an estimated 1.95% for the 2005 to 2010 period, but remains a contentious issue.  The population's median age is 22.7 years with 60.9% aged from 15 to 64 years old.  Life expectancy at birth is 71.94 years, 75.03 years for females and 68.99 years for males.

There are about 11 million Filipinos outside the Philippines.  Since the liberalization of United States immigration laws in 1965, the number of people in the United States having Filipino ancestry has grown substantially. In 2007 there were an estimated 3.1 million.  According to the United States Census Bureau, immigrants from the Philippines made up the second largest group after Mexico that sought family reunification.  Some two million Filipinos work in the Middle East, with nearly a million in Saudi Arabia alone.