Philippines Now Below Replacement Fertility Level as Total Fertility Rate Continues to Drop

According to a recent report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the country has continued to decline. This is based on the preliminary results of the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

pregnant

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PSA Total Fertility Rates

SOURCE: Philippine Statistics Authority

In 2017, the TFR of Filipino women aged 15 to 49 years used to be 2.7 children per woman. This year, it dropped to 1.9 children per woman bringing the Philippines below the replacement fertility level of 2.1 children per woman.

According to World Resources Institute, the “replacement fertility level” refers to the “average number of children born per woman at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, without migration.” For most countries, it is usually 2.1 children per woman, depending on mortality rates. Meanwhile, MacroTrends reports that it is currently 2.479 births per woman in the Philippines.

The PSA also mentioned that women from rural areas had slightly higher TFR of 2.2 children per woman as compared to those from urban areas with a rate of only 1.7 children per woman.

Read the full PSA TFR report here.

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