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 2,236 live births in the first semester of 2024. Of these births, 53.94 percent or 1,206 births were female and 46.06 percent, or 1,030 births were male, with a gender gap of 7.87 percent or a sex ratio of 85 males to every 100 females.

In the first semester of 2024, the number of registered live births rose by 4.19 percent compared to the same period in 2023. The total number of live births increased from 2,146 in the first semester of 2023 to 2,236 in the first semester of 2024. Female live births experienced a notable increase of 9.74 percent, rising from 1,099 in the first semester of 2023 to 1,206 in the first semester of 2024. Meanwhile, male live births saw a slight decline of 1.62 percent, dropping from 1,047 in the first semester of 2023 to 1,030 in the same period in 2024.

Registered Births by Municipality, Guimaras: 1st Semester 2023 & 1st Semester 2024

In the first semester of 2023, the total number of registered live births in Guimaras based on the usual residence of the mother reached 2,146. The municipality of Jordan recorded the highest number of registered live births, with 1,407, accounting for 65.56 percent. Nueva Valencia followed with 400 births, contributing 18.64 percent, while Buenavista registered 311 live births, making up 14.49 percent. Meanwhile, San Lorenzo recorded 15 live births, representing 0.70 percent of the total, and Sibunag had the smallest share, with 13 live births, or 0.61 percent. See figure 2.

In the first semester of 2024, the municipality of Jordan was the leading contributor to the provincial total, accounting for 70.44 percent of the births, with 1,575 registered live births. Buenavista followed with a share of 15.88 percent, or 355 registered births, while Nueva Valencia contributed 12.08 percent, or 270 births. Moreover, San Lorenzo recorded 21 live births or 0.94 percent, and Sibunag had the least with 15 registered live births or 0.67 percent.

San Lorenzo records fastest growth in registered births in the first semester of 2024

Four municipalities experienced increment in registered live births during the first semester of 2024. San Lorenzo recorded the fastest growth, with a significant increase of 40.00 percent, followed by Sibunag at 15.38 percent. Buenavista saw a growth of 14.15 percent, while Jordan reported an 11.94 percent increment in registered live births.

In contrast, Nueva Valencia was the only municipality to record a decline, with registered live births dropping by 32.50 percent. See table 1.

Of the 2,146 total registered births in the first semester of 2023, 51.21 percent (1,099) were females, while 48.79 percent (1,047) were males, resulting in a gender gap of 2.42 percent. 

In the first semester of 2023, female birth registrants outnumbered male registrants in the municipalities of Jordan and Nueva Valencia, with gender gaps of 3.06 percent and 5.05 percent, respectively (refer to Table 2).

Conversely, the municipalities of Buenavista, San Lorenzo, and Sibunag exhibited male dominated birth registrations. Buenavista had a marginal gender gap of 0.32 percent, while Sibunag showed a slightly higher gap of 7.69 percent. Notably, San Lorenzo recorded the largest disparity, with a significant male dominance reflected in a gender gap of 73.33 percent.

In comparison to the first semester of 2023, registered birth in Guimaras continued to exhibit a female dominance, with a recorded gender gap of 7.87 percent in the first semester of 2024.

Four out of five municipalities registered more female live births than males, as outlined in Table 3. Among the municipalities with a female majority, San Lorenzo exhibited the largest gender gap, at 14.29 percent, corresponding to a sex ratio of 75 males for every 100 females. Jordan followed with a gender gap of 9.59 percent, translating to a sex ratio of 83 males per 100 females.

Buenavista recorded a gender gap of 6.48 percent, resulting in a sex ratio of 88 males for every 100 females, while Nueva Valencia showed the smallest gender gap at 2.96 percent, with a sex ratio of 94 males per 100 females. These figures highlight varying degrees of female dominance across the municipalities, with San Lorenzo standing out due to its significantly wider gap.

Only the municipality of Sibunag recorded more male live births than females, with a significant gender gap of 400 males for every 100 females.

Registered Births by Month of Occurrence by Sex

The monthly distribution of registered births during the first semester of 2024 revealed an erratic trend. April emerged as the peak month for female live births, recording the highest count at 284, indicating a notable surge in registrations. On the other hand, January recorded the lowest number of female live births, with only 155, reflecting a significant disparity between the months. See figure 4.

The monthly distribution of registered male live births during the first semester of 2024 displayed significant fluctuations. April recorded the highest number of male live births, with 204 registrations, marking it as the peak month for male births. Conversely, February registered the lowest count, with only 148 male live births.

Registered Births, both Sexes, by Month: 1st Semester 2024

In the first semester of 2024, the highest number of total live births was recorded in April, with 488 registrations, while January had the lowest, with 319 registered live births. See Figure 5.

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.