The duel
World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside the Philippines 2.7 times
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 82 times as long as the median country’s
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 619 m above the median country’s
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 43% of the Philippines, versus 38% of the median country
Philippines: 42.7% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 16 times as many people as the median country
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 4 times as densely populated as the median country
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 8.3 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 6.4 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 5.8 years older than in the Philippines
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
The median country and the Philippines are practically level
Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 5.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 93 times as many refugees per resident as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.0088 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
Philippines: 0.1 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, the median country 1
Philippines: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Philippines’ economy is 11 times the size of the median country’s
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 68% more per person than the Philippines
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in the median country (Gini 4.9 points higher)
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.3% of people in the Philippines live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Philippines: 5.3% (2023) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 2.2% in the Philippines
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, the Philippines 1.3%
Philippines: 1.3% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, the Philippines’ 14%
Philippines: 14.4% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the Philippines’
Philippines: 33% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 2.4 times as much on health per person as the Philippines
Philippines: $194 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 4.7 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 72% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 1 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 3.2 times that in the Philippines
Philippines: 3.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Philippines rate their lives 0.37 points higher than in the median country
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Philippines drink 40% more alcohol than in the median country
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 67% more meat per person than the Philippines
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Philippines has 45 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 122 more hours a year than in the median country
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
The Philippines and the median country are practically level
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 15 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019)
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Philippines has 3 more World Heritage sites than the median country (6 against 3)
Philippines: 6 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Philippines has won 18 Olympic medals, the median country 4
Philippines: 18 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 67% in the Philippines
Philippines: 67% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Philippines is 3% faster than in the median country
Philippines: 166 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines
Philippines: 56% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Philippines and the median country are practically level
Philippines: 115 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 4.2 times as long as the Philippines’
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Philippines fly 49% more passengers per resident than those from the median country
Philippines: 0.36 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 25% of the Philippines
Philippines: 24.8% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 39% more fine dust than in the median country
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 92% more likely to be murdered in the Philippines than in the median country
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 35% deadlier than in the Philippines
Philippines: 13.8 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 3.4 °C warmer than the median country
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 3 times as much rain as the median country
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than the median country?
The Philippines is larger. The median country fits inside the Philippines 2.7 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or the median country?
The Philippines has 16 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or the median country?
People in the median country live 4.7 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Philippines or the median country?
Men in the median country are 8.3 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).