Marriage is among the vital events monitored by the Philippine Statistics Authority generated through the Decentralized Vital Statistics System.

Marriages in 2023 reached 680, which decreased by 14.89 percent over the 799 couples in 2022. Among 680 couples, the youngest groom recorded was 19 years old, while the youngest bride was 18 years old. Conversely, the oldest couple were 79 and 57 years old.

Figure 1. Comparative Vital Events, Guimaras 2022 vs 2023

Aside from marriages, births and deaths were also monitored comprising the total vital events, as shown in Figure 1.

In 2023, Guimaras registered 5,998 vital events, down by 9.89 percent compared to 6,656 in 2022. The majority of these events were births, constituting 70.01 percent of the total, mirroring the same percentage share observed in the preceding year.

February Registers Highest Number of Marriages in 2023

Figure 2. Comparative Registered Marriages by Month, Guimaras: 2022 vs 2023

February registered the highest number of marriages in 2023 with 135 couples. In 2022, the month of March registered the highest number of marriages with 125 couples. See Figure 2

The least was in August with 29 couples for 2023, while in 2022, the least was recorded in November with 36 couples. See Figure 2.

Distribution of Marriages by Municipality, Guimaras 2022 & 2023

In 2022, the towns of Buenavista and Nueva Valencia were the leading contributors to the total number of marriages in Guimaras, sharing 26.00 percent each or 208 registered marriages. This was followed by Jordan with 187 registered marriages, making up 23.00 percent.

On the lower end, San Lorenzo reported the fewest, totaling 108 and accounting for 14.00 percent, followed by Sibunag with 88 registered marriages, representing 11.00 percent of the overall count. See Figure 3.

Figure 3. Registered Marriages by Municipality, Guimaras: 2022

In 2023, the total registered marriages in Guimaras province, based on the place of occurrence, reached 680. Still, the municipality of Buenavista emerged as the predominant contributor, representing 34.00 percent of the provincial total, equivalent to 228 registered marriages. Jordan followed, with 179 couples registered, contributing 26.00 percent and Nueva Valencia accounted for 19.00 percent with 132 registered marriages.

Moreover, San Lorenzo and Sibunag made more modest contributions, each comprising, 11.00 and 10.00 percent, respectively. See Figure 4

Figure 4. Registered Marriages by Municipality, Guimaras: 2023

Buenavista records a 9.62% increment in Marriages

Notably, Buenavista was the only municipality to observe a rise in the number of recorded marriages in 2023. Buenavista recorded the highest increment of 9.62 percent, with 228 marriages from 208 couples in 2022. See Table 1

Moreover, Nueva Valencia had the slowest growth rate of -36.54 percent translating to 132 registered marriages in 2023 from the 208 married couples in 2022. See Table 1.

Table 1. Marriages in Guimaras by Municipality: 2022 vs 2023

Vital Statistics - are derived from information obtained at the time when the occurrences of vital events and their characteristics are inscribed in a 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 are known as vital or civil registration and the resulting documents are vital records.

Marriage - is a contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.