Business · Philippines Bureau
Philippines sees falling fertility rate as economic opportunity
The country's fertility rate has declined to 1.7 children per woman in 2025 from 1.9 three years earlier, a trend that government officials say could help boost living standards across the nation.
LSN Philippines ·
MANILA — The Philippines' rapidly declining fertility rate presents a significant opportunity to enhance living standards, according to Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
Balisacan characterised the downward trend in fertility rates as a positive development for the country's economic trajectory. The Philippines' fertility rate fell to 1.7 children per woman in 2025, down from 1.9 in 2022, continuing a decline that has persisted since 1993.
The sustained reduction in fertility rates could ease pressure on public resources and allow for greater investment in education, healthcare, and other social services per capita. A lower fertility rate typically corresponds with smaller family sizes, potentially enabling families to allocate more resources to individual children's development and wellbeing.
Economic planners have long studied the relationship between demographic shifts and economic development, with some models suggesting that declining fertility rates, when paired with appropriate policy interventions, can contribute to improved household living conditions and broader economic growth.