- Population Growth Rate
- 1.82% annually (2024-2025)
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: en.wikipedia.org, psa.gov.ph
Good to know
Good to Know
- Cebu attracts retirees due to Special Resident Retiree's Visa (SRRV) and low cost of living, especially men aged 45-65 from English-speaking countries.
- Expat community is well-established with meetups, sports activities, and expat organizations facilitating networking and settlement.
- Mactan-Cebu International Airport (second busiest in the Philippines) provides direct international connectivity, making it accessible for business and family visits.
- Young population: approximately 40% of residents are 14 years old and below, reflecting strong demographic growth.
- BPO sector is rapidly expanding with new facilities opening (e.g., Techlog's new site opening January 2026); continuous infrastructure investment ongoing.
City Rank
Sixth-most populated city in the Philippines; most populous in Central Visayas Region
Economic Significance
- Description
- Regional commercial and trading hub for Central Visayas. Major domestic shipping port (80% of Philippines' shipping companies operate here). Tourist destination (2+ million tourists in 2022, 540,000 foreign).
Population Growth Rate
1.82% annually (2024-2025)
Foreign Born Population
- Expat Demographics
- Mix of retirees (aged 45-65), digital nomads, business professionals, and international students. Popular with U.S. military retirees.
- Estimated Expat Count
- 10000
- Estimate Note
- Over 10,000 expatriates reported; no official census percentage available
Notable Nationalities
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Germany
Business And Tech Sector
- Ranking
- Leading BPO hub outside Metro Manila; ranked 52nd in Tholons' Global Innovation Index (2021); 10th in DTI's Highly Urbanized Cities (2021)
- National Share
- 15% of Philippines' BPO workforce; 22% of national IT-BPM headcount as of 2024
- Primary Industry
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT-Business Process Management (IT-BPM)
- Competitive Advantages
- Skilled English-proficient workforce, lower labor and real estate costs vs. Manila, ~23,000 college graduates annually
- IT BPM Employment In Cebu
- 200000
- IT BPM Employment Description
- Full-time employees in IT-BPM sector
Key Employers
- Accenture
- SYKES
- Teleperformance
- Concentrix
- TTEC
- Alorica
- Select VoiceCom
Business Districts
- Cebu IT Park (24-hectare technology hub in Lahug)
- Cebu Business Park
- Bonifacio Business Park
Metro Cebu Population 2025
1062000
Population Density Per Sq Km
3100
Total Population 2024 Census
965332
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Cebu City
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.