Fewer Filipinos Are Marrying and Having Children

For much of my professional life, I have looked at economic trends, financial indicators, and demographic data to understand where our country is headed. However, there is one particular trend that has been getting my attention lately, and I believe its implications go far beyond economics. Filipinos are having fewer children, fewer couples are getting married, and more young people appear to be questioning whether marriage and parenthood should even be part of their future.

As a father of four, a grandfather, a financial educator, and now a minister, I find these developments both fascinating and concerning. I understand that times have changed, and I certainly do not want to romanticize the difficulties of raising a family. But I cannot help wondering what kind of Philippines we are leaving behind for the next generation, especially if that generation becomes significantly smaller than ours.

The Numbers Should Get Our Attention

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, our country’s total fertility rate has fallen from 4.1 children per woman in 1993 to 2.7 in 2017, 1.9 in 2022, and just 1.7 in 2025. We have already fallen below the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.1 children per woman, which is generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population across generations in the absence of migration.

The decline is even more pronounced in urban areas, where the fertility rate is only 1.5 children per woman. This suggests that the economic and social realities of city living are playing an important role in the decisions of younger Filipinos.

Marriage is also becoming less common. PSA data show that registered marriages declined from 449,428 in 2022 to 371,825 in 2024, a substantial drop in just two years. Meanwhile, registered births fell to approximately 1.36 million in 2024, compared with 1.74 million in 2015. Preliminary figures for 2025 suggest that births have continued to decline.

These are not insignificant changes. And while the Philippines is still a relatively young country, we should not assume that our demographic advantages will last indefinitely.

We have spent decades worrying about overpopulation. Perhaps it is time to begin thinking about what happens when too few children are being born.

Why Are Filipinos Choosing Smaller Families?

I think we need to approach this question with a great deal of understanding rather than judgment.

Having spent almost four decades in the financial services industry, I know how difficult it has become for many young Filipinos to establish financial stability. Housing has become increasingly expensive, education costs continue to rise, and the cost of raising children can be overwhelming. Add to that our transportation problems, uncertain employment opportunities, and the pressure of supporting aging parents, and it is not difficult to understand why some couples hesitate to have children.

We are also witnessing the growing visibility of what is commonly called the DINK lifestyle, or Dual Income, No Kids. These are couples who have two sources of income but do not have children, sometimes by choice and sometimes because of circumstances. Although we do not yet have sufficient nationwide data to measure how rapidly this lifestyle is increasing, it is clearly becoming part of the conversation among younger Filipinos.

For some, the decision is largely financial. They want greater economic security, more freedom to travel, and the opportunity to pursue careers and personal aspirations. Others are concerned about the kind of world their children would inherit. Still others simply do not feel called to parenthood, while some couples face painful struggles with infertility.

I do not believe we should be quick to condemn any of them. Having children is a tremendous responsibility, and parenthood should never be reduced to a social expectation. Marriage and children are blessings, but people who remain single or do not have children are not somehow less valuable or less capable of living meaningful and fruitful lives.

Nevertheless, I think we should also ask whether our culture is gradually treating marriage and children more as obstacles to personal fulfillment than as opportunities to love, serve, and invest in others.

There is a difference between making a responsible decision not to have children and embracing a worldview in which personal comfort becomes the ultimate objective of life.

The Economic Consequences May Be Greater Than We Realize

From an economic standpoint, the long-term implications are quite serious.

One of the Philippines’ traditional economic advantages has been its relatively young population. Our workforce, consumption, entrepreneurship, and overseas employment have all benefited from having a large number of working-age Filipinos. But when fertility remains below replacement level for an extended period, the composition of the population eventually changes.

Fewer births today can mean fewer workers, entrepreneurs, professionals, and taxpayers several decades from now. At the same time, people are living longer, which means a growing elderly population will need healthcare, pensions, and social support. If the proportion of working-age Filipinos declines relative to retirees, sustaining these systems could become increasingly difficult.

Imagine an economy where fewer young workers are supporting a growing number of retirees. Businesses may struggle to recruit talent, government resources may come under greater pressure, and economic growth could become more difficult to sustain. Countries such as Japan and South Korea already illustrate some of the challenges associated with very low fertility and population aging.

Of course, population size is not everything. A smaller but healthier, better educated, and more productive workforce can still create a prosperous economy. Technology, productivity, and better institutions can help us adjust. But these improvements require deliberate investments, and we cannot simply assume they will happen.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies has already warned that our development priorities must increasingly include investments in children, stronger support for families, and preparation for an aging population.

We should not wait until the consequences become irreversible before taking the issue seriously.

But the Bigger Concern Is Not Just Economic

As much as I care about our economy, I am even more concerned about what these demographic changes may mean for Filipino society.

The family has always been one of the most important institutions in our country. It is where most of us first experience love, responsibility, sacrifice, discipline, forgiveness, and generosity. It is where values are formed and passed on from one generation to another.

I have come to appreciate this even more as I have grown older. Mia and I have been blessed with four children, and now we have the joy of being grandparents. Raising a family was never easy, and I would certainly not claim that we did everything perfectly. There were sacrifices, difficult decisions, and seasons when balancing work and family became particularly challenging.

Looking back, however, some of the greatest blessings of my life cannot be measured by financial success or professional accomplishments. They are found in the relationships God has entrusted to me.

I sometimes wonder whether our society has become so focused on pursuing individual achievement that we are gradually losing sight of the beauty of building something that will outlive us.

There is nothing wrong with professional success, financial security, travel, or enjoying the fruits of our labor. I have spent much of my life teaching people how to manage their finances wisely. But I have also consistently reminded people that money is a tool, not the ultimate purpose of life.

We should be careful not to build a society that becomes increasingly wealthy materially but increasingly impoverished relationally.

Rediscovering the Dominion Mandate

As a believer, I cannot reflect on this issue without returning to Genesis.

In Genesis 1:26–28, we read that God created humanity in His image and blessed them with a mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and exercise dominion over creation.

This passage is often called the creation mandate or dominion mandate. What strikes me is that God’s original design for humanity included both fruitfulness and responsibility.

God did not create human beings merely to consume the resources of the earth or to pursue their own comfort. He created us in His image and entrusted us with the responsibility of cultivating, developing, and caring for His creation.

The command to be fruitful and multiply was part of that calling. Human flourishing was always intended to be generational. God’s design involved people building families, forming communities, cultivating the earth, developing culture, and exercising responsible stewardship over what He had made.

This is particularly meaningful to me because of my background in economics and financial stewardship. I believe the dominion mandate reminds us that economic activity is not separate from God’s purposes. Creating businesses, developing industries, building institutions, and raising the next generation are all ways through which human beings can participate in the cultivation of God’s world.

But we must also understand this mandate properly. Genesis 1 is a calling given to humanity, not a command that every individual must marry and have children. Scripture also honors singleness and recognizes that people serve God’s purposes in different ways. Jesus Himself was unmarried, and the apostle Paul spoke positively about singleness and its opportunities for undivided service to the Lord.

Fruitfulness is therefore bigger than biological reproduction, although raising children certainly remains one important expression of it.

The deeper principle is that God created us not simply to live for ourselves, but to contribute to the flourishing of others and the generations that will come after us.

And perhaps that is the more important question we should be asking. Are we living primarily for ourselves, or are we intentionally investing in a future beyond our own lifetimes?

What Can We Actually Do?

I do not believe the answer is simply to tell young Filipinos to get married earlier or to have more children. That would be an oversimplification of a complicated issue, and frankly, it would be unfair to many couples who are already struggling financially.

If we want to encourage stronger families, we need to help create an environment where building and raising a family becomes more manageable.

Our government must take family formation seriously as an economic and social priority. Affordable housing, accessible healthcare, quality education, reliable transportation, childcare support, and family-friendly workplace policies can make an enormous difference. We must also address the employment and income insecurity that causes many young people to postpone important life decisions.

Businesses also have an important role to play. As someone who regularly engages business owners and marketplace leaders, I believe we should encourage companies to look beyond profitability and consider how their policies affect the lives of their employees and their families.

A company that provides fair compensation, reasonable working hours, parental support, and opportunities for employees to flourish is not merely being generous. It is helping build a healthier society and a more sustainable economy.

As financial educators, we also have a responsibility to help young people develop sound financial habits and prepare for marriage and parenthood. Financial readiness matters, but we should be careful not to make perfect financial circumstances a prerequisite for every major life decision. If we wait until everything is financially ideal, many of life’s most meaningful commitments may never happen.

And as a church, I believe we have an equally important responsibility. We should strengthen marriage preparation, mentor young couples, support struggling parents, care for children, and build communities where families can flourish. At the same time, we must honor and embrace single people, childless couples, and those whose family journeys have been marked by disappointment or loss. The church should be a place where life is nurtured, people are valued, and relationships are strengthened.

We must also recover the biblical understanding of stewardship across generations. Psalm 127:3 reminds us that children are a heritage from the Lord. They are not merely economic dependents, lifestyle choices, or future contributors to GDP. They are human beings made in the image of God, deserving of love, protection, dignity, and opportunities to flourish.

Perhaps we should spend less time asking how many children Filipinos ought to have and more time asking how we can build a country where every child who is born has a genuine opportunity to thrive.

The Future Is More Than a Demographic Projection

I recognize that declining fertility is a complicated issue, and I do not pretend to have all the answers. In some respects, lower fertility reflects genuine progress, including better access to education, improvements in women’s opportunities, and greater ability for couples to make informed decisions about family size.

These are developments we should recognize rather than dismiss.

But demographic change also requires us to think further ahead than we are accustomed to doing.

As a financial planner, I have always encouraged people to prepare for the future rather than simply react to the present. As a pastor, I have come to understand even more deeply that stewardship is never just about what we accumulate during our lifetime. It is also about what we cultivate, protect, and pass on to others.

Our challenge is not simply to produce more children to sustain economic growth. It is to build a society where marriage can be supported, families can thrive, children can flourish, and every generation has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the world God has entrusted to us.

The dominion mandate reminds me that we are not owners of this world. We are stewards. And stewardship demands that we think beyond ourselves, beyond our careers, beyond our bank accounts, and even beyond our own lifetimes.

The future of the Philippines will not be determined by economic growth alone, but also by the kind of people, families, communities, and institutions we are building today.

After all, the greatest legacy we leave behind is not simply the wealth we accumulate, but the lives we invest in and the generations we help shape.

And that, I believe, is something worth thinking about before the numbers decline even further.