SAN FERNANDO City, La Union (PIA) — The Philippine Statistics Authority-Regional Statistical Services Office 1 (PSA-RSSO 1) reported an increase in both live births and deaths in the Ilocos Region for 2023 compared to the previous year.
The total number of registered live births rose by 5.4 percent, reaching 66,633 in 2023, up from 63,240 in 2022.
This translates to an average of 183 births per day, compared to 173 in 2022.
The province of Pangasinan has the highest share of births in the region, accounting for 63.0 percent of the total.
It was followed by La Union with 14.5 percent, Ilocos Sur with 11.9 percent, and Ilocos Norte with 10.6 percent.
The sex ratio in the region continues to favor male births, with 109 male infants for every 100 female infants in 2023 and 110 male infants for every 100 female infants in 2022.
Meanwhile, the region experienced an increase in the death rate, rising by 4.7 percent from 38,843 in 2022 to 40,663 in 2023.
Similar to the birth rate, the province of Pangasinan had the highest death rate in the region with 58.5 percent from the total number of deaths.
It was followed by La Union with 15.1 percent, Ilocos Sur with 13.8 percent, and Ilocos Norte with 12.5 percent.
In 2023, the daily average of deaths rose to 111, up from 106 in 2022. Over the past two years, more males have died each day, with a ratio of 123 males for every 100 females in 2022 and 124 males for every 100 females in 2023.
Zenaida Garcillian, Registration Officer IV at the PSA-RSSO 1, attributes the swift aggregation of data from local civil registration offices (LCROs) in the local government units (LGUs).
“We really appreciate the commitment from the LCROs in this endeavor, we give recognition to them in the regional search for most outstanding LCROs, as we recognize their efforts in fast consolidation of data and innovations they do to better get the data that we need,” she said.
Garcillian also underscored the importance of these vital statistics in formulating programs and policies for the people.
“It’s crucial to understand that these statistics are not mere figures. They are the building blocks of policies that can truly improve people’s lives,” she said.
Meanwhile, Garcillian noted that the PSA is still studying the underlying causes of each figure shown. (MJTAB/REB PIA Region 1)
