The population of Metro Manila, or the National Capital Region (NCR), surpassed 14 million in mid-2024, according to the 2024 Census of Population.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the region’s population was 14,001,751 as of July 1, 2024. This represents about 12.4 percent of the total Philippine population of 112 million in 2024.
Metro Manila ranks as the country’s second-most populous region, trailing only Calabarzon, which has 63.93 million residents. Central Luzon is third with 12.99 million.
The NCR’s population increased by 517,289 from 13.48 million in 2020. It also grew by 1.12 million from 12.88 million in 2015 and by 2.15 million from 11.86 million in 2010.
“The population of the NCR increased by 0.91 percent annually, on average, during the period 2020 to 2024,” the PSA said.
“By comparison, the rate at which the region’s population grew during the period 2015 to 2020 was higher at 0.97 percent,” it said.
The NCR consists of 16 highly urbanized cities (HUCs), one municipality and 1,715 barangays (villages).
Among the 16 HUCs, Quezon City had the largest population in 2024 with 3.08 million, followed by the City of Manila with 1.90 million and the City of Caloocan with 1.71 million.
The City of San Juan has the smallest population among the HUCs with 134,000. Pateros, the region’s sole municipality, recorded a population of 67,000.
The City of Mandaluyong is the fastest-growing HUC in the region, with an average annual population growth rate (PGR) of 2.18 percent from 2020 to 2024.
It is followed by the City of Taguig with a PGR of 1.61 percent and the City of San Juan (1.48 percent). The City of Valenzuela has the lowest PGR (0.34 percent) among the HUCs in the NCR.
Of the 1,715 barangays in the NCR, Commonwealth in Quezon City is the largest with 215,035 people. It is followed by Pinagbuhatan in Pasig City with 173,576 people and Batasan Hills in Quezon City with 168,770 people.
