Older Persons in the Philippines: a Demographic, Socioeconomic and Health Profile

Abstract

This study aims to describe the ageing situation in the Philippines and to provide a national portrait of older Filipinos, focusing on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health status and household conditions. Data are mainly drawn from the 1990, 2000 and 2010 Philippine Census of Population and Housing (CPH), and the 2013 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The study shows that the population of the Philippines is still young but is slowly ageing. Older people in the country are predominantly women, and they are more concentrated in rural areas. Nearly 1 in 5 older Filipinos has at least one functional difficulty, and around 6 in 10 are covered by health insurance. Although their level of education is relatively low compared to the general population, their educational profile has been improving over time. Older Filipinos live in a housing unit that is of acceptable quality, although a significant proportion lives in less than ideal housing condition. Their access to electricity, clean water, and decent toilet facility is generally high, but far from universal. Sources of social support for older Filipinos remain steady, as most of them have a large household size and the majority live with their children. Although the older population, as a whole, is usually considered as a vulnerable group in the face of rapid demographic and economic changes, there are specific segments within this group that merit special attention. Specifically, careful attention should be directed to older women, those living in rural areas, and the oldest-old because they suffer a significant disadvantage in terms of functional difficulty, health insurance coverage and access to potential sources of social support.