The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the number of housing units in the country increased by 12.4% to 28.5 million in 2020 from 24.22 million in 2015.
Of the 28.5 million housing units, 25.19 million were occupied, translating to an occupancy rate of 88.4%, which was lower than the 92.6% occupancy rate reported in 2015.
The PSA noted that the occupancy rate was highest in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which was at 98.8%, followed by Zamboanga Peninsula at 92.5%, and Bicol and Cagayan Valley, both with an occupancy rate of 90.8%.
However, Calabarzon had the most number of occupied units at 3.8 million, but its occupancy rate was only at 91.2% as there were 4.44 million housing units. The National Capital Region ranked second with 3.26 million units occupied, and Central Luzon ranked third with 2.89 million units occupied.
The PSA further said that 84% of the housing units occupied needed only minor repairs or none at all, while 11.6% required major repairs.
Additionally, 27% of the occupied housing units had a floor area of 20 square meters or less, 19.5% were 30-49 square meters, 18.6% were 20-29 square meters, and 12.6% had a floor area of 50-69 square meters. Homes with a floor area of 90-119 square meters accounted for 5.8%, and homes with a floor area of 70-80 accounted for 7.8%.
The PSA also reported that the number of people living in a unit dropped to 4.3 persons in 2020 from 4.5 persons in 2015. Most of the housing units that were lived in were single houses at 22.06 million.
Some 1.63 million apartments or row houses were occupied, 746,765 were duplex units, and 169,327 were condominium units or condotels. Finally, some 46,346 were housing units in commercial, industrial, or agricultural buildings.
The PSA further noted that three out of five units had concrete or brick walls, 14.5% were made of wood, and the majority of the occupied housing units had roofs made of galvanized iron or aluminum. Additionally, 4.7% were made of cogon or nipa, and 4.5% were concrete or clay tiles.
