Let’s say you are learning Tagalog and you want to practice speaking this language with a native speaker, but you can’t make a trip to the Philippines just yet. Sure, there are over 108 million Filipinos spread across the 7 thousand plus islands of the Philippine archipelago and going to the Philippines would a great way to practice Tagalog, but the opportunities to meet and mingle with Filipinos off Philippine shores are many.
The good news is that there are over 11 million Filipinos living and working overseas. The Philippine Diaspora is one of the world’s most widespread diasporas in the world, reaching shores from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. It is often said that there is most likely a Filipino in every country in the world. But where are they mostly?
What do the official statistics say?
Based on statistics from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, here are the top ten destinations of overseas Filipinos and the estimated number per country:
- United States of America – 4,000,000+
- Malaysia – 950,000+
- Canada – 923,000+
- Saudi Arabi – 865,000+
- United Arab Emirates – 619,000+
- China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) – 434,000+
- Australia – 424,000+
- Japan – 272,000+
- Kuwait – 238,000+
- Qatar – 236,000+
These are the top ten destinations for Filipinos overseas, but Filipinos are practically everywhere. In fact, if you live in any major city, chances are there’s a Filipino near you. So just throw caution to the wind, and find them and muster up your best “Kamusta?” (How are you?). As they say Filipinos are among the friendliest people in the world.
Bonus tip: The Philippine diaspora is not only one of widespread diasporas on land, but on sea as well. Did you know that 1 in every 4 seamen on international shipping vessels is a Filipinos. At any given time, there are around 250,000 Filipino mariners at sea.
Here’s a video entitled “Kamusta: A Three Minute on the Philippine Diaspora” which gives a quick run through on the Philippine Diaspora, on which this article is based. Enjoy the video.
