The country's fertility rate declined to less than three kids from 2017 to 2022 due to the rise of more family planning users, the Commission on Population (POPCOM) said Tuesday.

In an interview with dzBB, POPCOM OIC-Director Lolito Tacordon said he fertility rate of women in their childbearing years fell from three to two children, citing data from the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

Tacordon said the number of family planning users was highest during the pandemic.

“We were a bit surprised. Actually, to the contrary, the number of family planning users rose during the pandemic. One of the factors that we saw is that it might have been natural for Filipinos to delay giving birth because of the rising cost of living. So maybe they decided that they couldn’t afford to have another child,” Tacordon said.

“Secondly, based on the data we gathered, this also has a factor, the number people getting married is also declining. So somehow, the family formation is disrupted. But we are trying to study closely the source of the decline in the population and fertility rate,” he added.

Tacordon said the population growth rate has been declining since 2000.

POPCOM estimated that this year, the population has grown to 111 million, based on a 7.6 percent growth rate.

Based on the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the total fertility rate of women aged 15 to 49 years old fell from to 2.7 children in 2017 to 1.9 children in 20122.

Women living in rural areas had a higher level of fertility rate of 2.2 children compared to those in cities with a fertility rate of 1.7 children. Jaspearl Tan/DMS