* The 2025 NDHS revealed that 18.6 percent of Filipino infants were born underweight, marking the first rate increase in nearly a decade and the highest figure since 2013.
* According to the PSA, low birth weight directly reflects maternal nutritional status during pregnancy, with data successfully gathered from written records and mothers' recall for 93.2 percent of covered infants.
* The survey showed informed decision-making on sexual and reproductive health among married women reached highest levels among those with college education, from wealthier households, and earning cash.
THE share of Filipino babies born underweight has climbed for the first time in nearly a decade, according to the latest results of the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said 18.6 percent of infants with a reported birth weight were born weighing less than 2.5 kilograms. This is up from 15.4 percent in the 2022 survey and 14 percent in 2017. The 2025 figure is the highest since the 2013 survey, which recorded 20.5 percent.
The PSA described low birth weight as the most widely used indicator of poor fetal growth. The agency said its incidence directly reflects women’s nutritional status during pregnancy.
Survey coverage
The findings cover infants born in the two years before the survey. Birth weight was reported for 93.2 percent of them. This data was drawn from written records for 41.5 percent and from mothers’ recall for 51.6 percent.
The 2025 rate is still below the peak of 20.7 percent in 2008, but the increase since 2022 erases the gains recorded in the late 2010s. The rate was 17.4 percent in 1993, 16.9 percent in 1998 and 19 percent in 2003.
The PSA’s second NDHS report also looked at informed decision-making among currently married women aged 15 to 49. This portion covered sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care. Women with some college education were most likely to make informed decisions at 86.2 percent, compared with 71.5 percent of women with no education. Informed decision-making also rose with household wealth, from 76.1 percent among the poorest fifth of households to 88.7 percent among the richest.
By employment, 85.2 percent of women employed for cash made informed decisions. This was followed by 80.7 percent of those not employed and 79.8 percent of those employed but not for cash. / MVG