Results from the 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) confirm that while national fertility rates are declining, at an average of 3.7 children per woman, they are still considerably higher than the rates prevailing in neighboring countries. Women in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India have fewer than 3.5 children during their reproductive life. NDHS results reveal that there may be several reasons why fertility rates in the Philippines have not fallen more rapidly.