Central Visayas (Region VII): economy, jobs, health, schools, poverty and local government budgets

Central Visayas (Region VII) is a region of the Philippines, number 4 of 17 by population. The 2024 census counted 6,640,875 people in Central Visayas, 5.9% of the 112,729,484 people in the Philippines; it ranks 4th largest of 17 regions by population. Since 2024 the Negros Island Region is counted as a region of its own, so this figure leaves out Negros.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Central Visayas (Region VII): The economy of Central Visayas produced ₱1.58 trillion of goods and services in 2025 (gross regional domestic product, GRDP, at current prices), 5.6% of the Philippine total of ₱28.01 trillion; by size it ranks 4th largest of 17 regions. Since 2024 the Negros Island Region is counted as a region of its own, so this figure leaves out Negros.
• Health in Central Visayas (Region VII): In the five years before the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, 21 in every 1,000 babies born in Central Visayas died before their first birthday and 26 in every 1,000 died before age five; the national figures are 22 and 26. It ranks joint 4th highest of 17 regions for infant deaths. Regional survey estimates carry a margin of error. This source predates the Negros Island Region, created in 2024, so it has no separate figure for Negros.
• Education in Central Visayas (Region VII): The median person aged 6 or over in Central Visayas had 7.8 years of schooling in the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (national: 8.8 years); it ranks joint 9th highest of 17 regions. This source predates the Negros Island Region, created in 2024, so it has no separate figure for Negros.
• Poverty and living standards in Central Visayas (Region VII): 12.3% of families in Central Visayas lived below the poverty line in 2023 (official poverty statistics), against 10.9% of families nationally; it ranks 9th highest of 17 regions for poverty. Since 2024 the Negros Island Region is counted as a region of its own, so this figure leaves out Negros.
• Government budget and revenue in Central Visayas (Region VII): Local governments in Central Visayas had a combined current operating income of ₱76.0 billion in 2024 (final Statement of Receipts and Expenditures), 6.7% of the ₱1.13 trillion for all local governments; it ranks 5th largest of 17 regions by income. The BLGF table does not show the Negros Island Region (created in 2024) separately.

How regions are governed in the Philippines

Autonomous region: BARMM (Bangsamoro). Bangsamoro Transition Authority (80 members appointed by the President) pending the first parliamentary election; a Chief Minister leads the government. Own laws on many matters, including Shari'ah courts for Muslims, under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (2018).

Every tier of government in the Philippines

Other regions of the Philippines

• CALABARZON (Region IV-A) 16,933,234
• National Capital Region (NCR) 14,001,751
• Central Luzon (Region III) 12,989,074
• Bicol Region (Region V) 6,064,426
• Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) 5,691,583
• Davao Region (Region XI) 5,389,422
• Ilocos Region (Region I) 5,342,453
• Northern Mindanao (Region X) 5,178,326
• Western Visayas (Region VI) 4,861,911
• Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) 4,625,929
• SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) 4,462,776
• Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) 3,943,837
• Cagayan Valley (Region II) 3,777,608
• MIMAROPA Region (Region IV-B) 3,245,446
• Caraga (Region XIII) 2,865,196
• Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) 1,808,985

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Sources

• Bureau of Local Government Finance, Department of Finance: Statement of Receipts and Expenditures (SRE) by Region, FY 2024 (Final), from the Local Finance Time Series Data, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 09b48864ffcb…)
• Philippine Statistics Authority and ICF (The DHS Program): 2022 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey: selected national and regional indicators (DHS Program API), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 401a0e9d6912…)
• Philippine Statistics Authority: Gross Regional Domestic Product at Current Prices, by Region, Major Industry: 2018 to 2025 (OpenStat table 0052B5BGRP0, CSV export; values in thousand pesos), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0424b0ab102c…)
• Philippine Statistics Authority: Philippine Statistical Yearbook, Table 11.1: Total Population 15 Years Old and Over by Employment Status and Region, 2014 to 2023 (Labor Force Survey; OpenStat table, CSV export), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a991f0e2dc46…)
• Philippine Statistics Authority: Philippine Statistical Yearbook, Table 1.1: Population, Land Area, Density by Region and Province, census years 2000 to 2024 (OpenStat table, CSV export), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e1774f27f8ae…)
• Philippine Statistics Authority: Official poverty statistics, Table 1: Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold and Poverty Incidence Among Families with Measures of Precision, by Region and Province: 2018, 2021 and 2023 (OpenStat table 0011F3DF010, CSV export), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5a5a465011bf…)

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