Slower growth Certain segments of the populace are contributing to the decline particularly the 0-4 years old group, according to the Population Commission.

The population growth of the Philippines recorded a decline of 0.21 percentage points (ppt) to 1.52 percent in the latter half of this decade, from the previous 1.73 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM).

Given this statistic, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projects the population in July 2020 to be 108.7 million Filipinos, which is lower than its earlier estimate of 109.9 million, or a difference of 1.2 million.

According to Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III, MD, MPH, the expected increase in population between 2019 and 2020 is about 1,483,828, or an annual increase of 1.38 percent.

“Certain segments of the populace are contributing to the decline, particularly the 0-to-4 years-old group, which is showing a 1-ppt drop from 11 percent in 2010, to 10.12 percent in 2020.

Meanwhile, the 0-to-14 age group will see a greater decrease of almost 4 percent: from 34 percent in 2010, to 30.14 percent in 2020,” POPCOM’s executive director expounded.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Perez pointed out that growth is seen to be occurring in the older age groups, with 70.3 million working-age Filipinos comprising 64 percent of the population. They were only at 62 percent at the start of the decade.

“Filipinos 60 years and older are also increasing in number and will grow to 9,686,762 in 2020, constituting 8.8 percent of the population. With a growth rate of more than 4 percent between 2015 and 2020, the seniors’ numbers are growing at a faster rate than other age groups,” he stated.

The updated numbers from POPCOM revealed that almost two out of every five Filipinos, or 38.7 percent, will be residing in the mega-region of Central Luzon, the National Capital Region and Calabarzon at the start of the new decade, with almost half of the population growth between 2019 and 2020 occurring in the same three areas. On the other hand, most localities from the Visayas and Mindanao will have growth figures below the aforementioned national average of 1.52 percent .

The POPCOM chief welcomed the most recent Philippine population figures from the PSA, which is lower by over 1 million than the former’s initial projection. Earlier, it estimated that the country’s entire citizenry will surpass 110 million at the start of the new decade.

Regarding the new population projection, Perez commented: “We welcome the new information from the PSA — proof that our nationwide efforts on reproductive health as well as family planning are yielding positive results, as they are steadily being embraced by Filipinos.”