FACT CHECK
“The Philippines has one of the youngest populations in ASEAN.”
YES
27.9% of Filipinos are under 15 — third-highest in ASEAN, nearly double Thailand's share and 2.4× Singapore's.
Population aged 0–14, % of total (2024)
Children under 15 make up 27.9% of the Philippine population — behind only Laos (30.2%) and Cambodia (29.8%) in the region.
The contrast with the region's richest economies is the striking part: Thailand is at 14.7% and Singapore at 11.7%, both ageing fast while the Philippines is not.
This is the demographic dividend people refer to — a large working-age generation arriving over the next two decades. It is also why per-student and per-capita spending stretches further in Singapore than here.
Source: World Bank, population ages 0–14 (% of total) · 2024
See what this means for education spending →
More fact checks
- Highest electricity in ASEAN? — yes
- Highest fuel prices in ASEAN? — no
- Top Facebook country? — yes & no
- Slowest internet in Asia? — no
- Best English in Asia? — yes & no
- Aging like Japan? — no
- Spends too little on education? — yes & no
- All fact checks →