Article by:
Marita Moaje
MANILA – The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) has sounded the alarm over declining population growth in several rural provinces, citing data from the 2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) and the ongoing demographic shifts across the country.
POPCEN data shows that as of July 1, 2024, the total population of the Philippines is 112,729,484, or an increase of 3.69 million from 109.04 million in 2020, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In an interview during the 57th anniversary of the CPD in Manila on Thursday, Deputy Executive Director Lolito Tacardon noted the emerging issue of rapid urbanization and the depopulation of rural areas.
“Kasi we've seen na palaki ng palaki yung population who are living in the urban areas. Pero meron na rin tayong mga provinces as well as one region actually, nag-incur na ng negative population growth rate, that's region 5, Bicol region (Because we've seen that the population living in urban areas is continuously growing. But we also have provinces, as well as one region actually, that have already incurred a negative population growth rate, that's region 5, Bicol region),” he said.
“So nagbago na yung demographic landscape natin and yet ang ating trust ngayon sa programa is demographic resilience, yung capacity ng bansa natin (our demographic landscape has changed, and yet our trust now in the program is demographic resilience, the capacity of our country) to sustain our socioeconomic development in whatever demographic situation that we have,” he added.
Aside from the Bicol Region, Tacardon said 13 other provinces, including Marinduque, Romblon, Mountain Province and Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao, posted a slowdown in the annual Population Growth Rate (PGR).
The data also noted that Marinduque and Mountain Province recorded the fastest declines, with some municipalities fully depopulated.
PSA data also showed that the rate at which the country’s population grew from 2020 to 2024 had actually slowed down to 0.80 percent from 1.63 percent from 2015 to 2020.
In total, 264 cities and municipalities, or about 16 percent of the country’s total, now have negative growth.
Fertility decline, demographic transition
The CPD attributed the slowdown to declining fertility rates, elevated mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic, and internal migration.
Total fertility has dropped from six children per woman in the 1970s to 1.9 today, reflecting changing preferences as women prioritize personal goals and delay childbirth.
“Women are now able to achieve their desired number of children, which allows families to provide a better quality of life and enables women to pursue personal and professional development,” he said, adding that this is a positive trend for women.
Another factor, Tacardon said, is the rapid urbanization, citing that around 40 percent of Filipinos now live in the National Capital Region and nearby regions of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon, and 60 percent in the rest of the country.
He said this situation creates imbalances in population distribution, as he stressed the need for policies that support rural areas, manage migration to urban centers, and address socio-economic pressures in both contexts.
Rising child, adolescent pregnancies
Meanwhile, the CPD said pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 years old continue to rise.
Tacardon cited contributing factors that include lack of information, sexual abuse, and cultural norms.
Responding to the call to regulate minors’ use of social media following reports linking increased teenage pregnancies to online exposure, Tacardon stressed that the CPD is looking more closely at how these young people process information.
While admitting that exposure to social media and to sexually explicit content could be a factor in rising adolescent pregnancies, what is more important is how they are guided, amid free access to all sources of information.
“We're more focused on the education and enabling young people to have that informed choice and decision by giving them appropriate information. So even if they access these social media sites dapat, unang una yung mga parents dapat magabayan nila ano ba ang maling information versus sa tamang (should, first and foremost, parents should guide them on what is the wrong information versus the right) information. I guess our concentration is more on education and skills development,” Tacardon said. (PNA)
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