With a dense population of 109 million based on the 2020 census, some people might think that fertility rate shouldn’t be a concern for the Philippines. But experts from the Economic Impact and Merck disagree.  

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the country has significantly decreased from about 6.8 children per woman in 1960 to just about 1.9 children per woman in 2022—falling below the ideal replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. 

“It is all about improving the quality of life, of children born to families, and of families that in turn build the society,” said David Humphreys, global practice lead for Health Policy at the Economic Impact, a global think tank and media organization engaging in discussions in areas of sustainability, healthcare, and new globalization.

The Economist Impact has rolled out the Fertility Counts initiative, supported by Merck, a global science and technology firm with local presence. The program aims to encourage policymakers and advocates in countries across the Asia Pacific (including the Philippines) to prioritize socio-economic incentives for responsible couples who want to have children and contribute to building family-oriented societies. 

Rising aging population

“The Philippines’ young population is gradually aging, with the number of people aged 60 and above expected to grow and account for 13 percent of the population by the year 2050 from just about percent percent in 2020,” Humphreys emphasized with a warning that this could possibly lead to serious issues in the future. 

Based on the 2022 Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) report released by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of registered births decreased to 1.46 million in 2022 from 1.76 million in 2013—translating to a 17.4 percent drop in 10 years.

Fertility Counts warns about the possible economic and socio-economic impact of a growing aging population, which apparently has become a problem in many countries with fertility issues like Japan. This advocacy calls for improvement of quality of life and greater public support for couples who are responsibly building families.  

Humphreys reminds the government to look at how other countries handled fertility issues in the past and how the present situation in those countries could have been addressed earlier. 

“Many developed countries are now facing a crisis because of their aging population. It is never too late for Southeast Asian nations to look into this issue and consider acting to boost the quality of lives instead of promoting infertility,” he said.