Central Luzon (Region III)

Summary data
Map of the Philippines highlighting Central Luzon
Typeregion
Island groupLuzon
Provinces7
Cities14
Municipalities116
Barangays3,102
Coastal/Landlockedcoastal
Marine waterbodiesSouth China Sea, Philippine Sea
Area (2013)219.06 km2 (8458.03 sq mi)
Population (2020)12,422,172
Density (2020)567 / km2 (1,469 / sq mi)

Central Luzon, officially designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines occupying the central section of Luzon. It covers 7 provinces, namely, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales, as well as 2 highly urbanized cities. The regional center is the City of San Fernando.

Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 12,422,172. This represented 19.97% of the overall population of the Luzon island group, or 11.39% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 567 inhabitants per square kilometer or 1,469 inhabitants per square mile.

Map

Central Luzon is bordered, clockwise from the North, by the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Philippine Sea, CALABARZON, National Capital Region, Manila Bay, and the South China Sea.

details
Map of Central LuzonMap of Central Luzon highlighting its regional center, component provinces and their capitals, and nearby major citiesAuroraBataanBulacanNueva EcijaPampangaTarlacZambalesAngeles, a highly urbanized cityOlongapo, a highly urbanized citySan Fernando, the regional center

Local government units

Central Luzon has 7 provinces, 116 municipalities, and 14 cities (2 of which are highly urbanized cities administered independently from any province). The total number of barangays in the region is 3,102.

details
Local government units of Central Luzon
NameTypePopulation (2020)Population (2015)Annual Population Growth Rate (2015‑2020)Area (2013), in km2Density (2020), per km2City countMun countBrgy count
Angelescity (HUC)462,928411,6342.50%63.377,30533
Auroraprovince235,750214,3362.03%3,133.407508151
Bataanprovince853,373760,6502.45%1,372.98622111237
Bulacanprovince3,708,8903,292,0712.54%2,783.691,332321569
Nueva Ecijaprovince2,310,1342,151,4611.51%5,689.69406527849
Olongapocity (HUC)260,317233,0402.36%185.001,40717
Pampangaprovince2,437,7092,198,1102.20%2,001.221,218219505
Tarlacprovince1,503,4561,366,0272.04%3,046.49494117511
Zambalesprovince649,615590,8482.02%3,630.35179013230
Central Luzon Total12,422,17211,218,1772.17%21,906.19567141163,102

Demographics

Population by age group

According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Central Luzon is 5 to 9, with 1,132,672 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 80 and over, with 89,879 individuals.

details
Population of Central Luzon by age group (2015 census)
Age groupPopulation (2015)Age group percentage
Under 1215,7141.92%
1 to 4895,5937.98%
5 to 91,132,67210.10%
10 to 141,111,5119.91%
15 to 191,102,7589.83%
20 to 241,049,7649.36%
25 to 29936,6668.35%
30 to 34841,5087.50%
35 to 39792,6637.07%
40 to 44685,2216.11%
45 to 49631,6345.63%
50 to 54523,0134.66%
55 to 59420,0213.74%
60 to 64323,3752.88%
65 to 69231,9072.07%
70 to 74136,9681.22%
75 to 7997,3100.87%
80 and over89,8790.80%
Total11,218,177100.00%
  • Youth Dependency Ratio: 45.92
  • Old Age Dependency Ratio: 7.61
  • Total Dependency Ratio: 53.53
  • Median Age: 25.54

Historical population

The population of Central Luzon grew from 819,768 in 1903 to 12,422,172 in 2020, an increase of 11,602,404 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive growth rate of 2.17%, or an increase of 1,203,995 people, from the previous population of 11,218,177 in 2015.

details
Population of Central Luzon (1903‑2020)
Census datePopulationGrowth rate
819,768
1,044,6311.54%
1,586,5242.11%
1,860,2741.65%
2,568,2062.88%
3,695,9553.63%
4,300,1963.09%
4,909,9382.69%
6,338,5902.59%
7,092,1912.13%
8,204,7423.17%
9,709,1772.35%
10,137,7371.58%
11,218,1771.95%
12,422,1722.17%

The total number of registered voters or electorate in Central Luzon for the year 2019 was 6,829,661.

Notes

  1. Unless otherwise specified, population count (excluding percentages) and land area figures are derived from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
  2. Data on registered voters is from the Commission on Elections.
  3. Maps utilize OpenStreetMap data available under the Open Data Commons Open Database License.
(Back to top)