Balisacan: Falling fertility rate chance to improve living standards

MANILA, Philippines —  Department of Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan on Friday described the country’s rapidly declining fertility rate as a “good opportunity” to improve living standards.

The country’s fertility rate fell to 1.7 children per woman in 2025 from 1.9 in 2022 and has been on a continuous decline since 1993, based on the latest data from the National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

“It is one thing that I’ve been wanting for so many…It’s an opportunity for now; it’s a good opportunity because that means we are going into a demographic stage where the working-age population is growing faster than our dependency population of our overall population,” Balisacan said during a roundtable discussion with INQUIRER reporters and editors.

However, this demographic shift also comes with a downside, particularly for the working-age population, whose taxes help fund pensions and other forms of assistance for the elderly.

“Of course, with the fertility rate continuing to come down, two decades from now or so, we will get into the aging of the population,” he said.

He said the government should use the current demographic window to address multidimensional poverty by investing in decent housing, accessible health services and quality education, particularly in rural areas.

If the government is able to invest in education and health, those who graduate will be equipped with the skills and competencies needed to secure better-paying jobs and earn higher incomes.

The country could also reap a demographic dividend, or the potential for economic growth that occurs when the working-age population grows faster than the number of young and elderly dependents.

Balisacan said the government should also create programs for the poor that are well-researched and proven to produce positive results.

For him, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is one such initiative that can provide long-term solutions to poverty.

“It’s one of these few projects, ayuda, na tlagang nagwowork in terms of achieving its objective. Kasi ang objective niyan to prevent the transmission of poverty to the next generation,” he said.

(It’s one of the few projects, or ayuda programs, that is really working in terms of achieving its objective. Because its objective is to prevent the transmission of poverty to the next generation.)/dp