Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14) — The countrys children population has seen a drop in the last two decades amid lower levels of fertility, according to the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM).

In a statement on Sunday, POPCOM said the Philippine population pyramid has been recording a lower percentage of younger people.

Citing data from a report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, POPCOM said the population of Filipino children under 5 has declined to a 10.2% share in 2020, from 10.8% and 12.6% in 2015 and 2000, respectively.

The percentage in the population of Filipinos under 15 also decreased from a 37% share in 2000 to 30.7% in 2020.

The dynamics of the Philippine population continue to see lower levels of fertility, as evidenced by the decline in numbers of children under 5 years old, POPCOM Executive Director Juan A. Perez III said.

Perez also said that the data presenting the lower number of children born since 2015 show the effectiveness of the Philippines family planning program.

The POPCOM chief said the Philippines might record an even lower figure in 2021.

In a separate message to media members, Perez also attributed the decline to the decision of women and couples to have smaller families, with only one to two kids.

He said that this trend of raising smaller families has also been noted worldwide.

Meanwhile, the median age of Filipinos increased to 25.3 years old from 23.3 years old in 2010.

Filipino senior citizens aged 60 and older comprised 8.5% of the population, higher than the 2000 data when they represented just 5.9%.

The number of seniors is on the rise due to better health and socioeconomic conditions -- seniors are better educated and have healthier lifestyles, Perez said.