Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)

Summary data
Map of the Philippines highlighting Cordillera Administrative Region
Typeregion
Island groupLuzon
Provinces6
Cities2
Municipalities75
Barangays1,178
Coastal/Landlockedlandlocked
Marine waterbodiesnone (landlocked)
Area (2013)198.18 km2 (7651.82 sq mi)
Population (2020)1,797,660
Density (2020)91 / km2 (235 / sq mi)

Cordillera Administrative Region, officially designated as CAR, is an administrative region in the Philippines occupying the northern-central section of Luzon. It covers 6 provinces, namely, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province, as well as 1 highly urbanized city. The regional center is the City of Baguio.

Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 1,797,660. This represented 2.89% of the overall population of the Luzon island group, or 1.65% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 91 inhabitants per square kilometer or 235 inhabitants per square mile.

Map

Cordillera Administrative Region is bordered on the East by the Cagayan Valley, and West by the Ilocos Region.

details
Map of Cordillera Administrative RegionMap of the Cordillera Administrative Region highlighting its regional center, component provinces and their capitals, and nearby major citiesAbraApayaoBenguetIfugaoKalingaMountain ProvinceBaguio, a highly urbanized city and the regional center

Local government units

Cordillera Administrative Region has 6 provinces, 75 municipalities, and 2 cities (1 of which is a highly urbanized city administered independently from any province). The total number of barangays in the region is 1,178.

details
Local government units of Cordillera Administrative Region
NameTypePopulation (2020)Population (2015)Annual Population Growth Rate (2015‑2020)Area (2013), in km2Density (2020), per km2City countMun countBrgy count
Abraprovince250,985241,1600.84%4,199.7260027303
Apayaoprovince124,366119,1840.90%4,502.332807133
Baguiocity (HUC), regional center366,358345,3661.25%57.516,370––129
Benguetprovince460,683444,2240.77%2,769.08166013140
Ifugaoprovince207,498202,8020.48%2,618.0179011176
Kalingaprovince229,570212,6801.62%3,282.047017153
Mountain Provinceprovince158,200154,5900.49%2,389.4366010144
Cordillera Administrative Region Total1,797,6601,722,0060.91%19,818.12912751,178

Demographics

Population by age group

According to the 2015 Census, the age group with the highest population in Cordillera Administrative Region is 5 to 9, with 180,804 individuals. Conversely, the age group with the lowest population is 75 to 79, with 16,591 individuals.

Age distribution

Population of Cordillera Administrative Region by age group (2015 census)
Age groupPopulation (2015)Age group percentage
Under 134,5892.01%
1 to 4144,8438.41%
5 to 9180,80410.50%
10 to 14176,38810.24%
15 to 19179,34910.42%
20 to 24175,45010.19%
25 to 29150,4268.74%
30 to 34126,1857.33%
35 to 39108,3246.29%
40 to 4490,5595.26%
45 to 4985,0834.94%
50 to 5474,8454.35%
55 to 5962,0683.60%
60 to 6446,1942.68%
65 to 6931,6751.84%
70 to 7421,0591.22%
75 to 7916,5910.96%
80 and over17,5741.02%
Total1,722,006100.00%
  • Youth Dependency Ratio: 48.85
  • Old Age Dependency Ratio: 7.91
  • Total Dependency Ratio: 56.76
  • Median Age: 24.13

Historical population

The population of Cordillera Administrative Region grew from 145,186 in 1903 to 1,797,660 in 2020, an increase of 1,652,474 people over the course of 117 years. The latest census figures in 2020 denote a positive annualized growth rate of 0.91%, or an increase of 75,654 people, from the previous population of 1,722,006 in 2015.

Trends in population growth

Population of Cordillera Administrative Region (1903‑2020)
Census datePopulationAnnualized Growth Rate
145,186–
267,0413.92%
384,6541.84%
364,720-0.54%
551,0323.70%
730,9062.80%
811,1032.11%
914,4322.43%
1,146,1912.29%
1,254,8381.71%
1,365,2201.82%
1,520,8471.50%
1,616,8672.25%
1,722,0061.21%
1,797,6600.91%

The total number of registered voters or electorate in Cordillera Administrative Region for the year 2019 was 1,013,418.

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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