AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ
The country’s population is projected to reach 105.7 million by 2017, according to the Commission on Population (PopCom).
Using data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the PopCom said there would be around 105,758,850 Filipinos by Dec. 31, 2017.
“Based on PSA projections of 1,691,897 births in 2017, the Philippine population will continue to increase in 2017,” said PopCom Executive Director Juan Perez III.
PopCom pegged the number of Filipinos born per minute at 3.22 births per minute by 2017.
Perez attributed this to the huge number of women of reproductive age and adolescent girls for the expected high number of births.
By 2017, there will be 27,293,422 women of reproductive age or those between 15 to 49 years old.
In addition, adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 years old will reach 10,080,824 next year, with over 200,000 adolescent girls projected to give birth in 2017.
“The figures for women of reproductive age and adolescent girls continue to be the highest numbers on record. The continuing increase in population is due to relatively high fertility rates of Filipino women, which is three children on average,” said Perez.