Filipino women are having fewer kids, but is this surprising?

MANILA, Philippines – Women in the country are having fewer children, according to a new Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey.

The results of the PSA’s 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), released on Monday, March 30, showed that the total fertility rate (TFR) among women aged 15 to 49 further declined to a record low of 1.7 in 2025, from 1.9 in 2022 and 2.7 in 2017.

The PSA defines TFR as “the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her childbearing years if she were to bear children at the current age-specific fertility rates.” The age-specific fertility rates “are calculated for the three years before the survey, based on detailed pregnancy histories provided by women.”

Back in 1993, the TFR was at 4.1.

Generally, 2.1 is considered the ideal fertility rate — two children from one household to replace the parents in the overall country population.

Urban areas have a fertility rate of 1.5, lower than the 2.0 in rural areas. By region, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the highest TFR at 2.4, while Calabarzon had the lowest with 1.3.

Elma Laguna, director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), said this outcome “is to be expected,” as it reflects the results of decades-long efforts to address the country’s perennial problem of overpopulation.

“For the longest time, we’ve been paying so much attention to a lot of programs to address population growth. If you look at ‘yung mga programs natin (our programs), it’s family planning, encouraging women to delay pregnancy, for example,” she told Rappler on Wednesday, April 1.

Majority want no more kids

Furthermore, 57.3% of married women said they want no more children, while only around 13.4% want to have another child within two years and 16.2% want another child beyond two years. A tenth were undecided about having more kids.

Women in urban areas exhibited a slightly stronger preference for not having any more children at 57.5%, than in rural areas with 57.1%.

“It reflects ‘yung changing preference ng (the changing preference of) Filipino women in terms of number of births, number of children that they want to have,” Laguna said.

The UPPI director pointed out that multiple factors can shape women’s preferences, but the most apparent one could be economic pressures that may force them to limit childbearing.

“Sinong gaganahang mag-aanak sa mga ganitong panahon?” she said. “[May] climate change, may giyera — so you know, it’s not easy.”

(Who would desire to bear a child in these times? There’s climate change, there’s conflict — so you know, it’s not easy.)

Impact of education, socioeconomic status

NDHS results also show that those belonging to low-income households and those who have attained only primary education have a higher TFR.

“Kahit na bumababa ‘yung fertility (Even if fertility declines), we also have to acknowledge that there are segments of the population that are still having more children,” Laguna said.

“I think we still have to continue with…providing access to family planning and reproductive health services to these women,” she added.

About seven out of 10 married women had demand for family planning, while among sexually active unmarried women, 48% had an unmet need for family planning.

At the same time, services such as technology-assisted reproduction are highly urban-centric, which Laguna said could contribute to a lower TFR in areas like Metro Manila.

“‘Yan siguro ‘yung possible explanation why women with higher socioeconomic status and those with higher education [have lower fertility rates] — they have that option. Puwede niyang i-delay ‘yung kanyang reproduction, ‘yung pag-aanak, because may technology naman that can assist,” said Laguna.

(That might be the possible explanation why women with higher socioeconomic status and those with higher education have lower fertility rates — they have that option. They can delay reproduction or childbearing because they have access to technology that can assist with that.)

The goal, according to the UPPI director, is to let all women exercise their reproductive rights and have access to reproductive health services.

‘Embrace,’ and prepare, for aging population

While a declining fertility rate may signal an aging population in the future, Laguna encouraged people not to be afraid, as this is naturally “part of the process.”

“We will expect more older persons in the future, but it does not mean that the population will not grow. Marami pa ring ipapanganak kasi ‘yung tinatawag mong population momentum nandito…. Nandito na ‘yung mga future mothers (There will still be many more births because what you call population momentum is here. Future mothers have already been born). It will take several generations to really see the effect of this declining fertility,” she said.

Laguna emphasized that what the Philippines can do is to still involve older generations in the active population, while investing in human capital and improving health and education.

She added: “Kailangan ini-embrace mo siya, but at the same time, pinaghahandaan mo siya…. Make policies siguro na mas friendly to older persons…. We can harness [our perspective of them] as a resource.”

(We should embrace it, but at the same time, prepare for it. Make policies that are more friendly to older persons. We can harness our perspective of them as a resource.) – Rappler.com