“Currently, the Philippines is at a unique crossroads with its changing demographics. As the country is undergoing a demographic transition, the country will need to work towards demographic resilience: the quality or state of being able to adapt and thrive amid demographic changes,” UNFPA Philippines representative Dr. Leila Saiji Joudane said.
The Commission on Population and Development , the United Nations Population Fund and the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development put forward the issues in a meeting held in Manila on Tuesday. The group said, in a statement, that the declining fertility rate in the country can be deemed as an opportunity to have a productive population with proper investments and policy decisions.
According to the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, the total fertility rate for 15 to 49 year-old women has declined from 2.7 children in 2017 to 1.9 children in 2022, which is now below the replacement level of 2.1.