Fertility rate in PHL steadily declines

The Philippines’ total fertility rate (TFR) reached a record low of 1.7 children per woman in the 2023-2025 period, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Preliminary data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) by the PSA showed that the TFR in the three years leading up to the 2025 survey dipped from the 1.9 TFR recorded in 2022.

This was the lowest recorded TFR since tracking began in 1993, and a continuation of a downward trend in the rates throughout all releases of the NDHS.

The PSA defines the TFR as the number of a woman’s children by the end of her childbearing years.

By region, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao logged the highest fertility rate at 2.4, followed by the Zamboanga Peninsula at 2.3, and Caraga at 2.2.

Meanwhile, the lowest TFR was recorded in Calabarzon at 1.3, followed by Metro Manila and the Negros Island Region at 1.4.

By educational attainment, women who have an elementary-level educational attainment had the highest TFR with 3.1 childbirths inching up from 3 in 2022.

This was followed by those with junior high school-level attainments and no attainments with 2.3 (from 2.5 in 2022), and then by those with senior high school-level attainments with 1.8 (from 2.7 in 2022).

Categorized by wealth quintile, those at the lowest wealth quintile had the highest TFR with 2.8 births from 3.1 in 2022.

This was followed by the second wealth quintile with 2.1 (from 2.2 in 2022), and the middle wealth quintile with 1.7 (from 1.9).

Age-specific fertility rates, which pertain to births per 1000 women over the three-year period covered, were highest in the 25 to 29-year-old age group with 94 births.

This was followed by those aged 30-34 years old with 84 births, and the 20 to 24-year-olds with 67 births.

The percentage of women who said they no longer want children rose to 49.4% from 48.8% in 2022.

By region, the largest share of women with this sentiment was highest in Bicol with 57%, followed by Mimaropa with 56.9%, and the Negros Island Region at 56.7%.

The NDHS is conducted every three years and provides data to guide policies and programs to improve the health and development of Filipinos.

It is also aligned with indicators on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, covering fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, and domestic violence.

Source: Business World

Philippines inches up to 56th in global happiness index

The Philippines climbed one spot to 56^th in an annual survey that measures peoples’ level of happiness globally, but analysts said the ranking does not capture the social and economic pressures that Filipinos face today.

In the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the Philippines ranked 56^th out of 147 countries, a slight improvement from its 57^th rank last year. The country had an average life evaluation score of 6.206 out of a possible 10, higher than the 6.107 score in 2025.

Among its Southeast Asian peers, the Philippines emerged as the fourth happiest country, only behind Singapore (36^th), Vietnam (45^th), Thailand (52^nd), and ahead of Malaysia (71^st), Indonesia (87^th), Laos (92^nd), Cambodia (121^st), and Myanmar (129^th).

The annual report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Finland (with a score of 7.764) was the happiest country in the world in its ninth straight year, followed by Iceland (ranking 2^nd, with a score of 7.540), Denmark (3^rd, 7.539), Costa Rica (4^th, 7.439), Sweden (5^th, 7.255), Norway (6^th, 7.242), the Netherlands (7^th, 7.223), Israel (8^th, 7.187), Luxembourg (9^th, 7.063), and Switzerland (10^th, 7.018).

Meanwhile, the unhappiest countries in the world are Afghanistan (ranking 147^th, with a score of 1.446); Sierra Leone (146^th, 3.251); Malawi (145^th, 3.284), Zimbabwe (144^th, 3.346); and Botswana (143^rd, 3.464).

The countries were ranked according to their self-assessed life evaluations averaged over a three-year period of 2023 to 2025.

To determine the ranking, the Gallup World Poll asked 1,000 respondents per country to evaluate their current life using the image of a ladder — with the best possible life for them as a 10 and the worst possible as a zero.

The research also looked into six factors — gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, social support, generosity, freedom, and perceptions of corruption.

FILIPINO RESILIENCE

The slight improvement in the Philippines’ happiness index could be linked to “resilient” household conditions, supported by stable inflation and remittance inflows, Philippine Institute for Development Studies Senior Research Fellow John Paolo R. Rivera said.

However, these do not reflect ongoing pressures that Filipinos face, such as the high living costs and job security.

“While Filipinos report high well-being, many still face cost of living pressures, job insecurity, and uneven income growth,” he said in a message.

Jose Enrique A. Africa, executive director of think tank IBON Foundation, said the slight improvement in the Philippines’ happiness index could only reflect marginal survey variation rather than domestic improvement.

“The slight improvement likely just indicates how Filipino families and communities confront significant economic pressures. Strong kinship networks and community support mechanisms in play, as the last-resort welfare systems of most Filipinos,” he said.

Mr. Africa cited the Philippine government’s role in ensuring Filipinos’ happiness and well-being through improved public services, social protection, and job security.

“More than resiliency, national industrialization and rural progress are the most important economic foundations to keep improving well-being,” he said.

Leonardo A. Lanzona, an economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, attributed Filipinos’ continued optimism to its religious upbringing.

“Happiness may be ingrained but improved well-being measured in terms of longer life expectancy can be crucial. Compared to other countries, our access to better health and education facilities needs to be raised,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“Without these, reported happiness is just Filipinos adapting to hardships and doesn’t reflect genuine economic security,” Mr. Africa said.

Source: Business World

Misery index worsens to 20.3% in January, highest in nearly 2 years

The Philippines’ adjusted misery index soared to an 18-month high of 20.3% in January from 13.8% in December 2025. The latest figure marked the fastest reading in almost two years or since the 20.7% in July 2024. Philippine inflation accelerating to an 11-month high of 2% and underemployment rate climbing to a six-month high of 13.2% in January contributed to the misery index worsening.

The index, which now incorporates adjusted underemployment rate* alongside inflation and unemployment rates, offers a broader measure of economic discomfort.

Originally developed by economist Arthur Okun, the misery index serves as a proxy for economic distress. A lower reading typically signals better economic health, though structural issues may still persist beneath the surface.

Source: Business World