There is a growing realization that developing countries will be affected in the future by the problems associated with population aging. Although internal migration could exacerbate the problems of aging at subnational levels, there remains a paucity of research on the role of migration in elderly population change for the developing countries of the world. This study uses 1980 census data for the Philippines to explore the spatial and temporal dynamics of the country's elderly population. Through examination of internal migration patterns among the thirteen regions of the country and population projections, this paper demonstrates the potentially large role that migration plays in determining local patterns of aging.
The National Capital Region, which is a primary destination of labor force migrants, exhibits the greatest projected increase in the share of the nation's elderly population, while the centrally located Visayas regions show rapid reductions in the future. The Visayas regions, however, may be expected to have the highest concentrations of elderly in their populations. Such findings suggest that labor force migration patterns, with subsequent aging-in-place, will most strongly influence near future distributions and concentrations of the elderly, and that national planning for the future's elderly population should incorporate regional examinations as a means of appropriately distributing financial and service related support.