454 births per woman last year for 1.01-percent decline from 2022.
When compared with the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, the 12th edition carried out since the survey was instituted, and covered a national sampling of more than 30,000 households and almost 28,000 women in the 15-to-49 age bracket, showed that the total fertility rate in the country dropped sharply to 1.9 children, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, a decline from 2.
Merck believes that the initiative holds significance in the Philippines, which is a key market in the APAC region. In a statement, it reiterated that the country’s diverse demographic landscape and evolving social dynamics are important factors that could support promotion of sustainable population growth and societal development.
“We are thrilled to have the Fertility Counts initiative in the Philippines and be present at the Aspire Congress,” said Dr. Virgilio Novero, reproductive medicine specialist and former president of the Philippine Society of Reproductive Medicine.