An overseas Filipino () is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to both people of Filipino ancestry and citizens abroad. As of 2019, there were over 12 million Filipinos overseas.
Population
Since the liberalization of the United States immigration laws in 1965, the number of people in the United States, from April 2023 report published by CNN there's approximately 40 million immigrants in US, this consist of several nationalities, Mexican. 10.7M. Indian 2.71M. Chinese 2.38M. Philippines. 1.98M. El Salvador. 1.42M. Vietnam. 1.34M. Cuba. 1.28M. Dominican Republic. 1.26M. .
In 2013, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) estimated that approximately 10.2 million people of Filipino descent lived or worked abroad. This number constitutes about 11 percent of the total population of the Philippines. It is one of the largest diaspora populations, spanning over 100 countries.
The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) tend to be young and gender-balanced. Based on a survey conducted in 2011, the demographics indicate how the 24-29 age group constitutes 24 percent of the total and is followed by the 30-34 age group (23 percent) working abroad. Male OFWs account for 52 percent of the total OFW population. The slightly smaller percentage of the female overseas workers tend to be younger than their male counterparts. Production workers and service workers account for more than 80 percent of the labor outflows by 2010 and this number is steadily increasing, along with the trend for professional workers, who are mainly nurses and engineers. Filipino seamen, overseas Filipino workers in the maritime industry, make an oversize impact on the global economy, making up a fifth to a quarter of the merchant marine crews, who are responsible for the movement of the majority of goods in the global economy.
The OFW population is consistently increasing through the years and this is partly attributed to the government's encouragement of the outflow of contractual workers as evidenced in policy pronouncements, media campaigns, and other initiatives. For instance, it describes the OFWs as the heroes of the nation, encouraging citizens to take pride in these workers.
Economic impact
In 2012, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank of the Philippines, expected official remittances coursed through banks and agents to grow 5% over 2011 to US$21 billion, but official remittances constitute only a fraction of all remittances.
Remittances by unofficial, including illegal, channels are estimated by the Asian Bankers Association to be 30 to 40% higher than the official BSP figure.
In 2011, remittances were US$20.118 billion.
In 2012, approximately 80% of the remittances came from only 7 countries—United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Japan.
In 2018, remittance had increased to $31 billion, which was nearly 10% of the GDP of the Philippines.
In 2019, Overseas Filipinos sent back $32.2 billion to the Philippines.
Philippine Independence Day Parade
The Philippine Independence Day Parade, or Philippine Day Parade in New York City, the world's largest outside the Philippines, takes place annually in the United States along Madison Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The parade is held on the first Sunday in June. Its main purpose is to create awareness of Philippine culture and to raise funds for charity projects in the Philippines and the United States. The Philippine Independence Day Parade is increasingly being attended by both American politicians and Filipino celelebrities as well as diplomatic officials who are keenly aware of the significant and increasing political and economic power exerted by the Filipino diaspora in the New York metropolitan area.