8.6 million Philippine women using family planning

Individuals take photos on the colorful backdrop while showing off their “pamaypay” handed out by Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) General Manager Oscar Bongon and OIC Director for Operations Ofelia Astrera at the Shaw Boulevard Station in Mandaluyong City on March 7, 2025 as part of the International Women’s Month celebration. (Miguel De Guzman / The Philippine STAR)

MANILA, Philippines — More than 8.6 million Filipino women are currently using family planning methods, according to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).

This number is higher than the 2022 figure of 8.3 million.

“This corresponds to the country’s current state, showing that births among women are lower, at 1.9 children, which is below replacement level,” the CPD said in a statement.

For modern methods of family planning, pills remain to be the most popular method with 34.48 percent of the total current users, with injectables coming in second at 20.66 percent.

“These data mark a remarkable progress in the empowerment of women, along with the data on women in education, where completion rate for education is higher for women than men,” CPD noted.

As to educational attainment, data provided by CPD showed that the percentage of women who have completed college is high at 14.5 percent compared to men at 10.5 percent.

Women also dominate completion levels for secondary education at 84.8 percent compared to men’s completion rate at 81.4 percent.

However, the labor force participation rate for women is notably lower at 51.2 percent, compared to men at 75.4 percent.

As such, the unemployment rate is higher for women at 8.2 percent compared to men at 7.5 percent.

A notable difference can be seen in the high proportion of unpaid family workers for women at 11.3 percent compared to men at 4.7 percent.

The commission said that though the country has made some progress in promoting women’s rights as it can be seen in the aspect of education, there is still much work to be done in terms of economic participation.

“We need more opportunities, particularly in fields that are dominated by men. Let us remember that women have a multi-faceted role in the family, being the primary caregivers, taking responsibility for nurturing children and managing the household,” CPD Undersecretary Lisa Grace Bersales said.

“Let us foster tangible and inclusive calls to action from various groups, providing a platform to voice women’s needs for economic success and meaningful empowerment, as we collectively strive to find solutions for women’s pressing problems,” she added. — Rhodina Villanueva