Philippine fertility rate drops to less than 2 kids per woman

MANILA – The Philippines‘ fertility rate dropped this year to below two children per woman of reproductive age, highlighting a demographic transition that could boost efforts to bring down poverty.

The total fertility rate fell to 1.9 offspring per woman aged between 15 and 49 in 2022, from 2.7 in 2017, according to a survey published this week on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) website.

That is below the 2.1 viewed as the level at which a population replaces itself from a generation to the next.

“Economic gains from the demographic transition can be funnelled to reduce poverty and improve labour force participation,” Mr Lolito Tacardon, the population commission’s officer-in-charge, said in a separate statement. This will likely help boost savings and investments for couples and individuals.

A spate of countries is seeing fertility rates drop, as economic opportunities grow and access to contraception improves. Global fertility is also expected to slip, after pandemic-era lockdowns limited in-person interaction.

In the Philippines, the government in recent years worked to boost access to family planning and contraceptives, which traditionally are frowned upon.

About half of married women indicated they desire no more children, the PSA said. Women in rural areas had a higher total fertility rate of 2.2, compared with 1.7 in urban areas.

Still, the Philippines “will continue to see a robust labour force at over 63 per cent of the population until 2030 or 2035”, said Mr Tacardon. “Focus should now be on ensuring that the quality and capacity of the country’s human resources are enhanced.”
BLOOMBERG