Reversing the decline of PH’s total fertility rate

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the country’s total fertility rate (TFR) is 1.9 children per woman in 2022.

TFR is the average number of children a woman might have in her lifetime. This can give an idea of the trend the country’s population might follow. A TFR of 2.1 is considered as the “replacement level.” This means that the population will not follow either an increasing or decreasing trend.

A TFR of 1.9 means the Philippine population will dwindle. This number has been decreasing since 1960, according to World Bank statistics for the Philippines. The PSA reported it as 2.78 for 2020 and 2.75 for 2021.

Countries like Hungary, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, France, Japan, and Italy have taken steps to improve their TFRs. The measures they have instituted to promote births are tax breaks, subsidies, grants, subsidies for education, paid parental leaves, increased social welfare benefits, and financial support for medical expenses. They also have used advertising to change the attitude and mindset of the people. The country that has reported success in its measures is France, which has maintained its TFR at around 2, close to the desired replacement rate.

I suggest that our lawmakers think of ways to reverse the trend of our TRF. Leaders like Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, and JD Vance, Vice President of the United States, have encouraged their citizens to have children.

There is a general perception that the country has too many people. We look at our urban centers, and we notice high population densities, traffic problems, urban poor, unemployment, and so on. Little do we realize that people are our greatest asset. In countries with demographic failures, older people live and die alone because there are no younger people beside them to help. We would not want these scenarios to happen to us.

Fr. Cecilio L. Magsino,

cesmagsino@gmail.com