According to the data generated from the Decentralized Vital Statistics System (DVSS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office, the province of Guimaras registered 3,981 live births in 2024. Of these births, 52.95 percent or 2,108 births were female and 47.05 percent, or 1,073 births were male, with a gender gap of 5.90 percent or a sex ratio of 89 males to every 100 females.

In 2024, the number of registered live births decreased by 5.19% compared to 2023. The total number of registered live births reduced from 4,199 in 2023 to 3,981 in 2024. Female live births declined by 2.41%, dropping from 2,160 in 2023 to 2,108 in 2024. Similarly, male live births decreased by 8.14%, falling from 2,039 in 2023 to 1,873 in 2024.

Registered Births by Municipality in Guimaras: 2024

In 2024, the municipality of Jordan recorded the highest number of registered live births, totaling 2,845, which accounted for more than half of the provincial total at 71.46%. The municipality of Buenavista followed, contributing 17.88% with 712 registered births. Nueva Valencia ranked third with 374 live births, representing 9.39% of the total. San Lorenzo recorded a 0.83% share, while Sibunag registered only 17 births, comprising just 0.43%.

Buenavista records fastest growth on registered births in 2024

Only two municipalities in Guimaras recorded growths in the number of registered births in 2024, Buenavista which recorded the fastest growth of 18.67 percent and San Lorenzo which grew by 6.45 percent.

Meanwhile, the following municipalities recoded declines in 2024: 

• Nueva Valencia, with 45.48 percent decline; 

• Sibunag with 15.00 percent decline; and 

• Jordan which dropped by 0.59 percent.

Registered births in Guimaras in 2024 revealed a female majority, with a recorded gender gap of 5.90%.

Three out of the five municipalities registered more female live births than male, as shown in Table 3. Among these, Buenavista recorded the largest gender gap at 13.48%, corresponding to a sex ratio of 76 males for every 100 females. Jordan followed with a gender gap of 4.67%, or a sex ratio of 91 males for every 100 females, while Nueva Valencia recorded a gender gap of 4.28%, translating to a sex ratio of 92 males for every 100 females.

On the other hand, Sibunag stood out as a male-dominated municipality, registering a significant gender gap of 52.94%, equivalent to a sex ratio of 325 males for every 100 females. San Lorenzo also recorded a male majority, with a gender gap of 3.03% and a sex ratio of 106 males for every 100 females.

Registered Births by Month of Occurrence

Female births consistently outnumber male births across most months, indicating a female majority throughout the year. April recorded the highest number of births for both genders, with 284 females and 204 males, representing the most significant gender gap in any month. The lowest number of female live births occurred in October, with only 123, while November saw the least male live births. See figure 3.

Registered Birth, both Sexes, by Month in Guimaras: 2024

The chart in Figure 4 illustrates the monthly registered births in Guimaras for the year 2024. The data shows significant fluctuations throughout the year. The early months of the year displayed an upward trend, starting from 319 births in January, gradually increasing to 399 births by March. The highest number of registered births occurred in April, with a total of 488 births, marking a notable peak in the year. This was followed by a gradual decline in subsequent months, with May recording 330 births and the trend continuing downward to reach the year's lowest in October, at 257 births.

After October, the numbers slightly recovered, with 261 births in November and 259 in December, maintaining a relatively steady level. A smaller spike is observed in September, with 377 births, before the sharp drop in October.

The chart in Figure 5 shows the annual registered births in Guimaras from 2015 to 2024, highlighting trends over a ten-year period. The data reveals a steady decline in registered births from 2,686 in 2015 to a low of 2,339 in 2022, reflecting a consistent downward trend over several years. However, a sharp rise to 4,199 occurred in 2023, marking the highest number of births in the decade.

In 2024, the number of registered births slightly decreased to 3,981, but it remained significantly higher than the figures recorded between 2015 and 2022.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Vital Statistics – are derived from information obtained at the time when the occurrences of vital events and their characteristics are inscribed in civil register. Vital acts and events are the birth, death and marriages, and all such events that have something to do with an individual’s entrance and departure from life together with the changes in civil status that may occur to a person during his lifetime. Recording of these events in the civil register is known as a vital or civil registration and the resulting documents are vital records.

Live Birth – is a complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as the beating of heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached, each product of such a birth is considered live born.