More than nine million Filipinos are now using various family planning methods, which is considered as one of the main factors behind the reported slow down in the country's population growth. 

Lisa Grace S. Bersales, executive director of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), said  that in the 2024 Census of Population, the annual population growth rate dropped to 0.80 percent (2020 to 2024), which is a significant decrease from 1.63 percent (2015–2020).

She said the substantial progress in the use of family planning in the country also resulted in the historic decline in the Philippines’ fertility rate to 1.9 percent.

“We are witnessing a transformative era for family planning in the Philippines, marked by a record-breaking 9.03 million users and a historic decline in our fertility rate to 1.9. This signals a powerful societal shift towards planned parenthood and enables the country to harness its demographic dividend,” said Bersales.

But Bersales emphasized the need to sustain and expand the use of family planning methods as there are still significant numbers of Filipinos who have either poor or no access to family planning.

She particularly pointed to 42 percent of sexually active unmarried women who lack access to their preferred methods and the persistently low engagement of men.

“We must now redouble our efforts to ensure equitable access to a full range of modern contraceptives for every Filipino, especially the poor and marginalized,” she said.

While the country’s population growth rate is slowing down, Bersales also raised concern on the rise in adolescent birth rates, particularly in the very young age group of under 15 years old.

She cited the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics which shows an increase in adolescent pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14—rising from 2,411 births in 2019 to 3,343 births in 2023.