Pharmacies are a critical component of healthcare delivery in the Philippines, yet their spatial distribution remains uneven and misaligned with population demand. This study investigates the geography of pharmacy access by introducing a facility-level urbanicity index based on the density of surrounding amenities and applying K-Medoids clustering to identify spatial typologies. Using data from OpenStreetMap and the 2020 Census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, we conducted a national-scale analysis of pharmacies across urban and rural settings. Results show that while rural areas exhibit higher pharmacy-to-population ratios, urban pharmacies serve substantially larger populations, revealing a structural imbalance in service provision. Four distinct clusters were identified—Rural Low-Amenity, Small Barangay (Low-Amenity; Moderate-Population), Semi-Urban (Medium-Amenity; High-Population), and Urban Institutional/Government—each representing a unique service environment not captured by administrative classifications. Further analysis revealed that clusters with moderate to high populations but low amenity densities are potentially underserved, particularly in peri-urban zones surrounding Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao. The findings demonstrate the limitations of binary urban–rural frameworks and highlight the utility of continuous, data-driven urbanicity measures for health service planning. The proposed methodology provides a scalable approach for identifying service gaps and supporting evidence-based, equitable pharmacy placement. • Identify pharmacy clusters using geospatial data and clustering techniques. • Reveal a mismatch between pharmacy locations and the population served. • Demonstrate the limits of binary urban-rural classifications in healthcare. • Apply amenity-based urbanicity measures to improve health planning. • Recommend integrating open and census data into healthcare planning systems in developing economies context.
Delgado et al. (2026) studied this question.