Western Visayas fertility, teen pregnancy rates fall in 2025

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The total fertility rate (TFR) and teenage pregnancy rate in Western Visayas declined in 2025, according to the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on March 30.

The regional TFR dropped to 1.9 in 2025, down 0.3 points from 2.2 in 2022.

The 2022 figure, however, included data from the Negros Island Region (NIR), which officially separated from Western Visayas in 2025.

The NIR recorded a TFR of 1.4, while the 2022 comparative data for the new region is listed as “NA,” indicating the estimate was not reported in the earlier survey.

The NIR posted the lowest fertility rate in the country, alongside the National Capital Region (1.4) and Calabarzon (1.3).

Western Visayas’ TFR of 1.9 is slightly above the national average of 1.7, while the NIR’s 1.4 falls below it. The national TFR also declined from 1.9 in 2022.

The PSA defines TFR as the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her childbearing years if she were to bear children at current age-specific fertility rates.

The NDHS was conducted with 29,694 respondents out of 30,223 eligible women.

Western Visayas’ teenage pregnancy rate — the percentage of women aged 15 to 19 who have given birth or are currently pregnant — also declined in 2025.

NDHS data placed the regional childbearing rate for that age group at 5.8 percent, excluding those whose pregnancies resulted only in stillbirths.

The figure remains above the national average of 4.8 percent but is lower than the regional rate of 6.6 percent recorded in 2022.

As with all other NDHS categories, regional data now excludes the NIR, which logged a 6.5 percent childbearing rate for the same age group.