Population of Pinoy children declines in last 2 decades, elderly up

The population of Filipino children has declined in the last 20 years while that of the elderly expanded, the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) said.

Citing a recent Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report, POPCOM said the percentage in the population of Filipinos under 15 years old has dropped from a 37% share in 2000 to 30.7% in 2020 while those 60 years old and above doubled from 5.9% or 4.5 million in 2000 to 8.5% or 9.2 million in 2020.

It added in 2015, 24.4% or 5,606,500 of the 22,975,630 households nationwide had at least one member who was a senior citizen.

POPCOM also said the percentage share of Filipino children under five is now down to 10.2% in 2020 from 10.8% in 2015, and 12.6% in 2000.

Meanwhile, the median age of Filipinos also went up to 25.3 years old from 23.3 years old in 2010.

"The dynamics of the Philippine population continue to see lower levels of fertility, as evidenced by the decline in numbers of children under five years old," POPCOM executive director Juan A. Perez III said in a statement.

"The high fertility levels of the last two decades were projected to create a bulge of young people entering the workforce up to 2035. This could prove to be a boon for the country if they become effective workers, or a lost generation if they are not employed or are underemployed, which will create a socioeconomic burden for a smaller, employed population," he added.

He further said the most current statistics point at the effectiveness of the Philippines’ family planning program, as evidenced by the lower number of children born since 2015.

POPCOM also reported that the latest PSA data showed a steady growth in the Philippines’ working-age population, with the 15 to 64 age group now making up 63.9% of Filipinos—slightly higher from 63.3% in 2015, and 59.1% in 2000.

Women of reproductive age or those aged 15 to 49 years old, on the other hand, are also at a record-high of 27.8 million as of 2020 which is a 1.8 million increase from 2015.

Perez welcomed these statistics as an opportunity for more Filipinas to further augment the country’s potential number of working citizens.

He said in terms of responsible parenthood and reproductive health, POPCOM estimates that at least nine million women from that age group will require family planning services.

He added the national government has to support the contraceptive needs of 7.6 million women who are currently being served by local governments, as well as anticipate the family planning requirement of the other women in that age group.—AOL, GMA News