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POPCOM happy as population growth rate down to 1.52% in latter half of decade


The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) on Friday welcomed the decline in the population growth rate in the country.

It said the development showed positive results on nationwide efforts on reproductive health and family planning.

The population growth of the country slowed down to 1.52 percent in the latter part of the decade from the previous 1.73 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to POPCOM.

It further cited the Philippine Statistics Authority's projected population of 108.7 million Filipinos for July 2020, a figure lower than the earlier estimate of 109.9 million.

“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," Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III said in a statement.

According to Perez, the expected increase in population between 2019 to 2020 was around 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% in 2010, to 10.12% in 2020. Meanwhile, the 0-to-14 age group will see a greater decrease of almost 4%: from 34% in 2010, to 30.14% in 2020,” Perez said.

Perez added that growth was seen in older age groups as 70.3 million working-age FIlipinos compromised 64 percent of the population from the previous 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% of the population. With a growth rate of more than 4% between 2015 and 2020, the seniors’ numbers are growing at a faster rate than other age groups,” he said.

Despite this, Perez urged the public and concerned officials to "not fall into a state of complacency."

"We should keep in mind that our country still has one of the highest population growth rates in the ASEAN region. There are still lingering issues that we all have to address as we usher in the new decade," Perez said.

Among issues that needed to be addressed, Perez mentioned the management of limited resources, unrestrained internal migration leading to congestion in urban areas, and the rise of teenage pregnancies nationwide.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us with regard to population management and FP [...] We also enjoin our countrymen to do their part, as their decisions on FP will affect our communities,” he added. —NB, GMA News

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