The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country consisting of an archipelago of 7,107 islands bordering the western fringe of the Pacific Ocean. Only about 2000 islands are inhabited. It shares maritime borders with Malaysia to the west, Indonesia to the south and Taiwan to the north. It is the last country to accede to the restricted club of the countries of more than 100 million inhabitants, mark that it reached July 27, 2014 (about 110 million in 2021). It is even envisaged that the country will have 142 million inhabitants in 2045. Figure that slows the progress of the fight against poverty in the country. With the current economic growth, many Filipinos are emerging from poverty and extreme poverty. In 2018, 16.7% of people lived in poverty (-2$ per day), compared to 21.6% in 2015 and 26.6% in 2006. Progress could be faster but that exists anyway.
Manille, capital city of the Philippines. Photo: Patrick RoqueTabon Caves, remnant of the oldest human traces in the Philippines. Photo: JimaggroRicefields of Banaue, more than 2000 years old and listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Philippines. Source: Wikipedia
