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The Philippines has a baby problem. It’s going to be the world’s headache
Reining in the population is great news for Manila, but the world needs to prepare now for a time when exports of labour become a trickle.
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While still a relatively young nation, the Philippines is determined to reduce its birth rate.
PHOTO: AFP
Daniel Moss
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The next big demographic jolt is coming in a country whose human capital keeps essential portions of the global economy afloat. Its impact will be felt everywhere – from London hospital wards and Los Angeles wharves to dinner tables across the Middle East.
While still quite a young nation, the Philippines is determined to reduce its birth rate, and sees much smaller families as a route to the prosperity enjoyed elsewhere. It wants a place in the pantheon of Asian success stories alongside nations like Singapore and Malaysia. The archipelago of 115 million people has already made meaningful progress, thanks in part to the reduced sway of the Roman Catholic Church and the ensuing easing of curbs on contraception.
