Knowledge about our children can bring better understanding of their inherent rights, their needs for well-being, and their thoughts about themselves and society. Understanding our children can offer wisdom to those who bear duty to protect their rights and nurture them to become their best selves.
Quality data can help children survive and lead healthy lives; learn knowledge, acquire skills, or be creative; live free of hunger and poverty; be protected from violence, discrimination, and injustice; be safe from disasters, pandemics, and economic shocks; and participate in caring for their well-being and nurturing their growth, in helping others, and in contributing to nation building.
Quality data for children can open many doors and windows toward a brighter future for them. Conversely, the absence or misuse of data can result in inept decisions and policies that can leave children more vulnerable to and adversely affected by systemic gaps, inequities, risks, and shocks.
Data for Children: the concept
Data for Children is data about children, their caregivers—individuals and institutions alike, and their environment. Data for Children is vital not only to knowing and understanding children but more importantly to taking positive action for them. Data for Children also pertains to the national statistical system and the wider data ecosystems—the people, institutions, and systems, that create, curate, care for, and communicate data about children to children and their stakeholders.
Data for Children advocates for intentional, rational, and regular collection and generation, informed dissemination and communication, and purposeful analysis and use of quality data—smart data, to influence and drive decisions and actions across all sectors—public, private, and civil society, for transformative impact for children.
The Philippines has a wealth of data on children yet there are still many key data gaps on critical dimensions and subdimensions of child rights. Most of available data are produced by government in the Philippine Statistical System (PSS), and there is little information on data produced in the wider data ecosystems. Available data and its quality are highly varied and fragmented across time, geographic spread, and other factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status that are relevant to the analysis of children’s rights and development.
Many of available data on children, adolescents, and youth in the Philippines is produced by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which are official statistics based on the results of periodic censuses and statistical surveys. Other data on children are generated by national government agencies and local government units from their sector-specific or area-specific surveys and administrative data systems—planning, programming, service delivery, and monitoring activities. Data that are not available in the country are sourced from international development agencies’ databases.
PSA maintains a dedicated webpage on children data, Children in the Philippines, which includes a Child Poverty Database, a compilation of indicators and data related to children and poverty developed with support from UNICEF.
There is a mix of statistical activities that produce data on children, adolescents, and youth—censuses, surveys, administrative data systems including monitoring and surveillance systems, and research studies. Below are the statistical activities periodically conducted in the country that have been determined to produce data on children, adolescents, and youth, some of which served as sources for this Portal.
|
Statistical activity |
Type |
Periodicity |
Geographic disagregation |
Latest year available |
Conducting Agency/ Institution |
|
Censuses and surveys |
|||||
|
Annual Poverty Indicator Survey |
Survey |
2 years (alternating with FIES) |
National Regional |
2022 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Census of Population and Housing |
Census |
10 years |
National Regional Provincial City/Municipal Barangay |
2020 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) |
Census |
3 years |
Municipal Barangay |
2023/ 2024 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
National Nutrition Survey/Expanded National Nutrition Survey (NNS/ENNS) |
Survey |
National |
2021 |
Food and Nutrition Research institute – Department of Science and Technology |
|
|
Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) |
Survey |
2 years (alternating with APIS) |
National Regional |
2023 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) |
Survey |
5 years |
National Regional |
2019 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Labor Force Survey (LFS) |
Survey |
Monthly |
National Regional Provincial |
2023 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) |
Survey |
3 years (Starting in 2025) |
National Regional |
2022 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Young Adult Fertlity and Sexuality Study |
Survey |
10 years |
National Regional |
2021 |
University of the Philippines Population Institute |
|
Administrative data systems |
|||||
|
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics |
Registration system |
Annual Monthly |
National Regional |
2022 |
Philippine Statistics Authority |
|
Enhanced Basic Education Information System |
Reporting system |
Annual |
National Regional Provincial |
2023 |
Department of Education |
|
Field Health Surveillance Information System (FHSIS) |
Surveillance |
Annual Monthly |
National Regional Provincial |
2023 |
Department of Health |
|
Learners Information System |
Reporting system |
Annual |
National Regional Provincial |
2023 |
Department of Education |
|
Operation Timbang |
Surveillance |
Annual |
National Regional Provincial City/Municipal |
2022 |
National Nutrition Council |
|
Updating of Nutritional Status of Filipino Children |
Surveillance |
Annual |
National Regional Provincial City/Municipal |
National Nutrition Council |
|
The PSS is a highly decentralized data system. While PSA serves as the central policy and coordinating agency, statistical responsibilities are spread across relevant national government agencies and local government units. Statistical policies and standards (including concepts, definitions, methodologies, and development plans) are approved by the inter-agency PSA Board to adopt and implement them in the PSS. Various inter-agency/technical committees and working groups (IACs/TCs/TWGs) serve as technical arms of the Board with recommendatory function on statistical matters. PSA serves as the secretariat of the Board and all IACs/TCs/TWGs.
In 2023, the TWG on Children and Youth Indicators was established by and under the IAC on Gender, Children and Youth Statistics (IACGCYS) through Resolution No. 01, Series of 2023 to serve as the dedicated forum for discussion of statistical matters in the country. The TWG shall periodically report to the IAC and make recommendations on addressing statistical issues and development related to children and youth. The TWG is chaired by the CWC with members the DepEd, DSWD, ECCD Council, NYC, PCW, and PSA.
Smart Data
supports child-centric evidence-based policy.
Supports needs of duty-bearers and children; plans
strategically planned based on current, emerging, and anticipated data needs.
addresses long-term, short-term, and real-time/near-time data information needs
with short or reduced data time lags between production and dissemination.