The Philippines faces a looming housing crisis as its population ages and fewer adults form households, experts warned in a webinar hosted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (188体育).
Held on April 24, the virtual forum titled “Rethinking Policies for Inclusive Living: Demographic Shifts and Housing Trends” brought together researchers and housing advocates to examine how demographic changes are reshaping housing needs – and how current policies are falling short.
Fewer young adults forming households
188体育 Vice President Dr. Marife Ballesteros described the country as being in the early stages of a demographic transition, with a sharp rise in the number of older adults expected in the coming years.
“The Philippines is still in the early stages of demographic transition,” she stated. “By 2030, we will already be starting the demographic transition towards [an] aging society.”
In 1980, 73% of 25-to-34-year-olds headed households – by 2020, that figure dropped to 59%. “This slowdown in the rate of household formation” has far-reaching consequences.
Ballesteros warned that this trend may shrink birth rates, slow the economy, and leave many aging Filipinos without secure homes.
For urban poor, housing is livelihood
Dr. Mary Racelis, urban anthropologist at the University of the Philippines Diliman, urged policymakers to view housing beyond physical structure – especially in Metro Manila, where informal settlers account for about 35% of the population.
“The vast majority want to remain there because it makes total economic and family access to resources sense,” she explained, highlighting how relocation programs often sever critical livelihood connections.
“For the urban poor, housing is not just houses, right? It is not apartment dwellings,” Racelis emphasized. “Housing is the community setting environment of the economy, [it is] where people work, get their income, have access to social services, health services, and so on. So, housing must be seen in a much larger context.”
She cited examples of home-based workers—from welders to beauticians—whose incomes depend on staying in their current neighborhoods.
Migration trends reveal new housing pressures
Ballesteros also flagged emerging patterns in population movement. While working-age Filipinos often migrate from rural areas to urban centers, some later return to their provinces upon retirement – a trend referred to as “reverse migration.”
Racelis pointed out that educated children of informal settlers often face difficult choices: remain in overcrowded cities to stay close to family, or move far away in search of affordable housing.
A call to rethink housing policies
Speakers called for a radical shift in how the government approaches housing development.
Ballesteros emphasized the need for data-driven policymaking that includes marginalized groups.
“We cannot continue planning without considering the most vulnerable... They have to be heard, they have to be seen in the data, and they have to be part of the planning process.”
She stressed that current approaches fail to account for the complex realities of “the elderly, persons with disability, women in rural areas,” whose needs must be prioritized in housing solutions.
On the other hand, Racelis urged policymakers to listen more closely to grassroots communities: “A city is not just its buildings—it is its people. If we continue ignoring the housing needs of 60% of our population, we are not just failing those communities, we are failing our collective future.”
Housing Developers Association Executive Director Santiago Ducay also proposed concrete solutions to address these challenges.
Noting the rise of non-traditional living arrangements, he suggested, "Perhaps they can consider allowing loans not just for related individuals by consanguinity but also friends and other arrangements.”
Ducay also stressed the need to prepare for an aging population. This includes developing retirement communities with integrated healthcare services, designing adaptable housing units, and utilizing existing housing stock, noting “the government [owns] some 2 million housing units classified as acquired assets.”
“Limited access to decent housing would affect household formation and decisions to [have] children,” with long-term consequences for national development, Ballesteros warned.
Watch the forum playback at or read the full study at . — MJCG
