CEBU CITY, (Philippines): More married women in Central Visayas have opted not to have children, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
At least 54.7 per cent of women in the region expressed not wanting any children, the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reported.
It was slightly up from 54.5 per cent in 2022.
Additionally, there has been a significant surge in the number of women who are undecided about having more children, the same PSA data showed.
From 6.9 per cent in 2022, it jumped to 20.1 per cent in 2025.
Meanwhile, women who want to have children but remain uncertain as to when are only at 0.4 per cent. On the other hand, only 12.9 per cent of those surveyed expressed a desire to have another child soon.
For the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the PSA surveyed more than 1,000 women aged between 15 and 49 years old.
Fertility rate in decline, too
The PSA recently released findings of its 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which also showed that the total fertility rate, which gauges the average number of children females have, in Central Visayas has also dipped.
In 2022, every woman here is expected to bear at least two children. Now, that number has declined to 1.7.
The results also coincide with PSA’s preliminary vital statistics for 2025, which showed a similar downward trend in the number of live births.
From January to October, Central Visayas registered a total of 60,777 births only, a significant drop compared to the 72,797 births recorded during the same ten-month window in 2024. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
