Western Visayas fertility rate drops to record low of 1.9

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The fertility rate in Western Visayas has declined by more than half over the past three decades, reflecting changing reproductive patterns and family preferences in the region, according to data presented during the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) Regional Dissemination Forum on Tuesday, May 26.

Marlene Y. Alviar, chief statistical specialist at the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Regional Statistical Services Office (RSSO) 6, said the region recorded a total fertility rate of 1.9 children per woman aged 15 to 49 for the three years preceding the survey, down from 4.2 children per woman in 1993.

“If fertility will remain constant at current levels, a woman would have an average of 1.9 children in her lifetime,” Alviar said during her presentation.

The region’s fertility rate remains slightly higher than the national average of 1.7 children per woman, placing Western Visayas sixth among regions nationwide.

However, the figure is already below the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman, the level needed for a population to replace itself from one generation to the next.

The regional decline mirrors a nationwide trend. The 2025 NDHS recorded a national total fertility rate of 1.7 children per woman, the lowest since the survey series began, down from 1.9 in 2022 and 4.1 in 1993.

Demographers often associate declining fertility rates with increased access to education, urbanization, improved family planning services, and changing economic priorities among families.

Data also showed shifting fertility preferences among married women in the region.

More than half, or 53.1 percent, of currently married women aged 15 to 49 said they no longer want additional children, while 17.8 percent said they want to wait at least two years before having another child.

Only 12 percent said they want another child within the next two years.

The survey further showed that the preference to stop childbearing becomes more pronounced among women who already have children.

Among women with two children, 66.1 percent said they no longer want more children or are already sterilized.

The figure rose to 81.9 percent among women with three children.

Family planning use in the region also remained widespread.

Alviar reported that 61.9 percent of currently married women aged 15 to 49 were using some form of family planning at the time of the survey.

Of the total, 44.9 percent were using modern contraceptive methods, while 17 percent relied on traditional methods.

Among modern methods, oral contraceptive pills were the most commonly used at 13.9 percent.

Other methods included injectables at 3.8 percent, female sterilization at 3.3 percent, condoms at 2.4 percent, implants at 1.9 percent, and intrauterine devices at 1.4 percent.

The survey also showed that the unmet need for family planning among currently married women declined sharply, from 31.4 percent in 1993 to 13.7 percent in 2025.

Despite declining fertility rates, teenage childbearing persisted in the region.

The survey found that 5.2 percent of women aged 15 to 19 in Western Visayas had begun childbearing.

Of the total, 2.8 percent had already given birth, while 2.4 percent were pregnant with their first child during the survey period.

The 2025 NDHS was conducted to provide updated estimates of key demographic and health indicators in the country.

The 2025 NDHS is the 13th in the series conducted since 1968 and the first carried out as a midterm survey, a shorter-cycle round now done every three years.

Specifically, the survey collected information on fertility, fertility preferences, family planning practices, childhood mortality, maternal care, child health and development, violence against women, and other health concerns.

The information gathered through the survey is intended to help policymakers and program managers design and evaluate programs and strategies aimed at improving the health and development of Filipinos.

The 2025 NDHS also provides indicators linked to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028.

The survey covered women aged 15 to 49 who were either permanent residents or visitors who stayed in sampled households the night before the interview.

A women’s safety module was also administered to one eligible woman per household.