Demographics of the Philippines

According to the 2000 Census, the population of the Philippines was 76,504,077. The Negrito, who are genetically akin to Andamanese islanders and constitute a distinct stock, are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines, number somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 people (<0.03 percent). The overwhelming majority of the population (95 percent) are made up of various ethnolinguistic groups descended from later Austronesian-speaking migrants who arrived in successive waves to the archipelago from Taiwan and admixed with other sporadic migrations from the Asian mainland (what is today southern China). The most significant non-Austronesian group are the Chinese, who have played an important role in commerce since the 9th century when they first arrived in the Philippines for trade. Mestizos, those of part-non-Austronesian parentage, form a tiny but economically and politically important minority.

The most widely spoken language is Filipino, which is de facto based on Tagalog, although thirteen regional languages are spoken as vernaculars throughout the Philippines. English serves as the primary lingua franca and as the language of commerce and the professions. Christianity is the main religion in the archipelago, with Roman Catholicism making up the majority. A small but significant minority profess Islam, particularly in the southern Philippines.

The people of the Philippines are known as Filipinos. Throughout the colonial era the term "Filipino" originally referred to only the Spanish and Spanish-mestizo minority. The definition, however, later evolved to include all citizens of the Philippines regardless of ethnic origin.