The overall fertility rate for Filipino women aged 15 to 49 decreased from 2.7 children per woman in 2017 to 1.9 children per woman in 2022, data from Philippine Statistics Authority revealed Monday.
According to the statistics bureau's 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, the Philippines already has fewer children per woman than the replacement fertility level of 2.1.
"Women who resided in rural areas had a somewhat higher TFR of 2.2 children per woman than women who lived in urban areas, who had a TFR of 1.7 children per woman," the PSA said.
Fertility is low among adolescents, with 25 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 in 2022.
"Generally, the fertility has been declining in all age groups since 2008, except in the younger and older women aged 15 to 19 and 45 to 49 years, respectively," PSA added.
Specifically, fertility rates for women aged 20 to 24 steadily declined from 163 births per 1,000 women in 2008 to 84 births per 1,000 women in 2022. PSA also noted the trend in women aged 25 to 44 years.
Nearly half of women aged 14-49 no longer want children.
Women were asked in the 2022 NDHS if they wanted additional children and, if so, how long they would like to wait before having the next one.
Almost half (48.8 percent) of currently married women aged 15 to 49 (including those and/or whose husbands are sterilized) want no more children.
The percentage of women who want no more children increases with the number of living children, from 4.3 percent with no living children to 72 percent with six or more children.
Around 13.9 percent of women want to have another child within the next two years and 17.4 percent want to wait at least two years before having another child.
Moreover, less than one percent (0.2 percent) of women want another child but have yet to decide when, and 8.1 percent are still deciding about having more children.
