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The Population and Development Commission (Popcom) sees a slower birth rate in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The commission said the Philippine population is expected to increase slightly by 1.4 million by
110,881,756, with a growth rate of 1.31 percent at the beginning of the year.
He projected that the Philippine population would increase to 111.1 million due to interruptions in the provision of family planning services.
The birth rate is lower than the 1.45 percent recorded in 2019 to 2020 and is also lower than the growth rate recorded in 2016 at 1.68 percent.
Popcom also expects an increase in the number of Filipinos of working age, those aged 15 to 64, by more than 1 million to 71,278,520, equivalent to 64.15 percent of the Filipino population, with 36,139.66 men and 35,138,630 women.
He said that with the increase in the number of Filipinos of working age, there should be at least 500,000 new jobs, a challenge for the labor sector amid the ongoing pandemic.
“The increase in the working-age population presents a prospect of economic gain due to the potentially higher income and productivity it can generate. This is what we call a demographic dividend opportunity…. But we have to work on how to achieve the demographic dividend and reap its economic benefits in the next five years; otherwise, they can also potentially become dependent on family income and government services, ”said Popcom CEO Juan Antonio Pérez 3rd.
Popcom said there would also be an increase in the “dependent” population, or those 0-14 and 60 and over by around 475,543 to 43,136,259, with older people exceeding 10 million for the first time.
Unintended and unplanned pregnancies in 2021 may also rise, with an increase of 751,000 new pregnancies expected, for a total of 2.56 million unintended pregnancies due to reductions in family planning service during community quarantine.
Pérez said that while the numbers will only mean a slight increase in population numbers, the country still has one of the highest population rates in Southeast Asia.
“We still have a lot of work ahead of us with regards to population management and family planning. A comprehensive approach that links government efforts with nongovernmental organizations and the private sector would still be needed, one that allows population programs, such as family planning, to reach all communities in the 42,000 barangays across the country.
We also urge our compatriots to do their part, as their family planning decisions will affect our communities, ”said Pérez.
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