Overseas Filipino Workforce Grows as Diaspora Flourishes Globally

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The number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) continues its upward trajectory. In a recent survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority, an estimated 2.16 million OFWs were working abroad between April and September 2023, marking a 9.8% increase over the 1.96 million recorded in 2022 (psa.gov.ph, philstar.com).

Women comprised the majority of OFWs in 2023, totaling 1.20 million (55.6%), while male OFWs numbered about 958,000 (psa.gov.ph).

Regional Distribution

Asia remains the dominant region for OFW placements, hosting 80.8% of the workforce. Key countries include:

Saudi Arabia: 23%
United Arab Emirates (UAE): 13.7%
Kuwait: 7.7%
further placements in Hong Kong, Qatar, Singapore, and others

North and South America hosted 6.3% of OFWs, Europe accounted for 9.0%, Australia captured 2.9%, and Africa had 1.0%.

Remittance Surge

OFWs continue being economic lifelines for the Philippines. Remittances in 2023 climbed by 20.8%, reaching ₱238.6 billion, significantly higher than the previous year’s ₱197.5 billion (philstar.com).

Diaspora Snapshot: Filipinos Residing Worldwide

Beyond those formally deployed as workers, a vast Filipino diaspora lives abroad, forming vibrant communities across continents:

United Arab Emirates: Approximately 680,000 Filipinos reside in the UAE (450,000 in Dubai alone, making up 6.8% of UAE’s population; in Dubai, Filipinos account for 21.3%)
Japan: As of December 2024, about 341,500 Filipinos live in Japan, constituting one of its largest foreign communities
Taiwan: Estimated at 160,165 Filipinos as of November 2024
Hong Kong: Around 200,000 Filipinos, many serving as domestic workers—making them the largest ethnic minority group there
Australia: The 2021 census reports 408,836 people of Filipino ancestry, with 310,620 born in the Philippines
Austria: About 30,000 Filipino Austrians live in the country, primarily in Vienna and Lower Austria; 13,499 are Philippine-born.
Other countries: In Singapore, estimates from 2020 cite 200,000 Filipinos; Saudi Arabia around 865,000; South Korea about 52,000; Spain roughly 200,000; and the U.S. had 3.4 million Filipinos by 2010—though these older figures show longstanding diaspora trends.

Summary Table

Category	Figure / Insight
OFWs (2023)	~2.16 million (↑9.8%)
Remittances (2023)	₱238.6 billion (↑20.8%)
Largest OFW destinations	Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Asia overall
Major diaspora countries	UAE, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Austria, more
Notable historical diaspora	U.S., Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia

This dynamic migration fills many gaps in labor markets abroad—especially in healthcare, domestic work, and technical sectors—while fueling the Philippine economy with remittances and fostering global Filipino communities.