Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)

Summary data
Map of the Philippines highlighting Zamboanga Peninsula
Typeregion
Island groupMindanao
Provinces3
Cities5
Municipalities67
Barangays1,904
Coastal/Landlockedcoastal
Marine waterbodiesSulu Sea, Celebes Sea, Basilan Strait, Dipolog Strait, Bohol Sea
Area (2013)169.04 km2 (6526.68 sq mi)
Population (2020)3,875,576
Density (2020)229 / km2 (594 / sq mi)

Zamboanga Peninsula, officially designated as Region IX, is an administrative region in the Philippines occupying the western section of Mindanao. It covers 3 provinces, namely, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, as well as 1 highly urbanized city (Zamboanga City) and the component city of Isabela. The regional center is the City of Pagadian.

Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 3,875,576. This represented 14.76% of the overall population of the Mindanao island group, or 3.55% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 229 inhabitants per square kilometer or 594 inhabitants per square mile.

Map

Zamboanga Peninsula is bordered, clockwise from the Northeast, by the Dipolog Strait, Bohol Sea, Northern Mindanao, Illana Bay, Moro Gulf (Celebes Sea), Sibuguey Bay, Basilan Strait, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Sulu Archipelago), and the Sulu Sea.

details
Map of Zamboanga PeninsulaMap of Zamboanga Peninsula highlighting its regional center, component provinces and their capitals, and nearby major citiesZamboanga del NorteZamboanga del SurZamboanga SibugayIsabela CityZamboanga City, a highly urbanized cityIsabela CityPagadian, the regional centerZamboanga City, a highly urbanized city

Local government units

Zamboanga Peninsula has 3 provinces, 67 municipalities, and 5 cities (1 of which is a highly urbanized city administered independently from any province). The total number of barangays in the region is 1,904.

details
Local government units of Zamboanga Peninsula
NameTypePopulation (2020)Population (2015)Annual Population Growth Rate (2015‑2020)Area (2013), in km2Density (2020), per km2City countMun countBrgy count
Isabela Citycity (CC), capital130,379112,7883.10%223.73583––45
Zamboanga Citycity (HUC)977,234861,7992.68%1,414.70691––98
Zamboanga del Norteprovince1,047,4551,011,3930.74%7,300.11143225691
Zamboanga del Surprovince1,050,6681,010,6740.82%4,484.21234126681
Zamboanga Sibugayprovince669,840633,1291.19%3,481.28192016389
Zamboanga Peninsula Total3,875,5763,629,7831.39%16,904.032295671,904

Demographics

Population by age group

According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Zamboanga Peninsula is 5 to 9, with 426,976 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 80 and over, with 25,758 individuals.

Age distribution

Population of Zamboanga Peninsula by age group (2015 census)
Age groupPopulation (2015)Age group percentage
Under 181,8262.25%
1 to 4347,3139.57%
5 to 9426,97611.76%
10 to 14407,76711.23%
15 to 19386,52410.65%
20 to 24339,5029.35%
25 to 29277,7637.65%
30 to 34235,0156.47%
35 to 39219,6016.05%
40 to 44198,4215.47%
45 to 49179,6424.95%
50 to 54153,1704.22%
55 to 59121,7293.35%
60 to 6494,5892.61%
65 to 6963,4791.75%
70 to 7442,4011.17%
75 to 7928,3070.78%
80 and over25,7580.71%
Total3,629,783100.00%
  • Youth Dependency Ratio: 57.29
  • Old Age Dependency Ratio: 7.25
  • Total Dependency Ratio: 64.54
  • Median Age: 22.42

Historical population

The population of Zamboanga Peninsula grew from 98,086 in 1903 to 3,875,576 in 2020, an increase of 3,777,490 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive annualized growth rate of 1.39%, or an increase of 245,793 people, from the previous population of 3,629,783 in 2015.

Trends in population growth

Population of Zamboanga Peninsula (1903‑2020)
Census datePopulationAnnualized Growth Rate
98,086–
147,3332.60%
355,9844.51%
521,9414.00%
900,7304.91%
1,334,4463.92%
1,541,4592.94%
1,821,7513.40%
2,280,4602.27%
2,567,6512.25%
2,831,4122.12%
3,230,0941.83%
3,407,3531.96%
3,629,7831.21%
3,875,5761.39%

The total number of registered voters or electorate in Zamboanga Peninsula for the year 2019 was 2,193,033.

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.
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