MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) said Monday, December 27, that they were projecting the slowest population rise since 1946 and 1947.

In a release to media, the Popcom said the number of Filipinos is expected to increase by just over 345,000 for the entire 2021, or a 0.3% increase.

The “natural increase” in population – or the projection based on the number of births minus deaths in a particular period – is the lowest the country has recorded since the period between 1946 and 1947.

There will be around 109,991,095 Filipinos by the end of 2021, two million lower than earlier projections. The population growth rate in the country had been pegged at 1.63%.

The natural increase in population back in 2020 was 0.79%, with 109,667,216 Filipinos by the end of 2020.

Popcom chief Undersecretary Juan A. Perez III attributed the low population rise to Filipinos remaining “prudent by continuing to delay having children or forming families during the combined economic crisis and COVID-19 health emergency.”

“Couples in growing numbers continue to avail of family planning commodities and services in all regions of the country, with 8 million users of modern family planning methods in 2020—an addition of about 500,000 from 2019,” Perez added.

Back to back years of relatively low increases in the Philippine population, said Perez, “provide opportunities of attaining a more stable population that can support socioeconomic development at the national and household levels if integrated population and development interventions are sustained.”

But Perez also highlighted the “unusual fertility behaviors” during the pandemic as delays in starting a family and unions, and the rise in contraceptives usage.

The Popcom projection does not factor in international migration during 2021. – Rappler.com