What children in the Philippines may be facing in 2050 According to UNICEF’s flagship report, State of the World’s Children 2024 , more children, globally, will be living in low-income countries, at high risk of climate and environmental hazards and disasters, amid rapid digitization and technologization by 2050. These three key global shifts—demographic shift, climate change, and frontier technology—can either fill their future with promise or put them in peril. And that all depends on our collective actions today.
Demographic dividend By 2030 to 2050, PH can become the 14th biggest economy in the world. (Recto, 2024) Climate-induced disasters and shocks 74 percent of PH population is vulnerable to climate-induced disasters and hazards and over 97% of children experience multiple environmental shocks More flooding By 2050, temperatures are expected to rise by 1.8°C to 2.
2°C, potentially submerging some lands. Worsening climate crisis By 2050: 8x more heatwaves 3.2x more floods 1.
3x more droughts 1.2x more typhoons Displacement 9.7 million children in PH were displaced by environmental hazards (2016 to 2021)—the highest in the world.
Rapid urbanization By 2050, 2/3 of the PH population will live in urban areas. Disease, hazards, and violence Disadvantaged children in cities are more exposed to communicable diseases, environmental hazards, and violence Digital divide 65 percent of Filipinos are still not connected to the internet (DICT, 2023) Internet speed is slow.