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Philippines' Population to Rise to 84.2 Mln by 2005
By 2005, the present estimate of the Philippines' population, which is 75.3 million, is expected to rise to 84.2 million, the Philippine News Agency said Monday.
The agency quoted the Population Commission as saying in their State of the Philippine Population Report (SPPR) for 2000 based on the results of the 1995 census, which showed that the nation's annual population growth rate is slightly more than two percent.
According to the report, if the country will continue to grow at this pace together with its 1999 per capita gross national product (GNP) growth rate of 1.4 percent, the per capita GNP is expected to double only after 49 years.
But according to Nolito Quilang, regional director of the commission, this can be improved if the population growth rate goes down by more than 0.2 percent and bring the GNP growth rate to two percent.
If this happens, Quilang said, the per capita GNP can double in 35 years.
This implies a very slow improvement in standards of living for at least two generations.
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