According to the data generated from the Decentralized Vital Statistics System (DVSS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office, Guimaras province registered 1,119 deaths in 2023, of which 60.77 percent or 680 deaths were male and 39.23 percent, or 439 deaths were female, with a gender gap of 21.54 percent or a sex ratio of 155 males to every 100 females.

Figure 1. Registered Deaths by Sex: 2022 and 2023

In 2023, there was a notable decline of -6.52 percent in registered deaths compared to the previous year, from 1,197 in 2022 to 1,119 in 2023. This reduction is marked by a decrease of 78 registered deaths.

Registered Deaths by Municipality, Guimaras: 2022 & 2023

In 2022, the town of Nueva Valencia was the leading contributor to the provincial total, comprising 43.44 percent or 520 registered deaths. The municipality of Jordan came in next with 292 deaths, making up 24.39 percent, and Buenavista with 199 registered deaths, contributing 16.62 percent. On the lower end, Sibunag reported the fewest deaths, totaling 115 and accounting for 9.61 percent, followed by San Lorenzo with 71 registered deaths, representing 5.93 percent of the overall count.

Figure 2. Registered Deaths by Place of Occurrence, Guimaras: 2022

In 2023, the total registered deaths in Guimaras province, decreased to 1,119. Still, Nueva Valencia recorded the most number of deaths in the province, representing 47.45 percent of the provincial total, equivalent to 531 registered deaths. Jordan followed with 250 deaths, contributing 22.34 percent, and Buenavista accounted for 16.00 percent with 179 registered deaths. In contrast, San Lorenzo and Sibunag made more modest contributions, each comprising 8.31 and 5.90 percent, respectively.

Figure 3. Registered Deaths by Place of Occurrence, Guimaras: 2023

San Lorenzo had the largest decline in death cases in 2023

In 2023, four out of five municipalities in Guimaras observed a reduction in the number of registered deaths. San Lorenzo led with the most significant decline of -19.13%, trailed by Buenavista with a decrease of -14.38%, and Nueva Valencia and Sibunag with decreases of -10.05% and -7.04% respectively. See Table 1

Table 1. Comparative Registered Deaths by Municipality: 2022 & 2023

Furthermore, among the municipalities in Guimaras, only Jordan experienced an uptick in registered deaths, rising by 2.12%, equating to an additional 11 deaths compared to the 520 recorded deaths in 2022.

More males died in Guimaras in 2023

In 2023, out of the total 1,119 registered deaths, a significant majority, comprising 60.77%, were males, totaling 680 individuals, while 39.23%, equivalent to 439 deaths, were females. This reveals a gender gap of 21.54%, indicating a male predominance across all municipalities.

Table 2. Registered Deaths by Municipality, by Sex, Gender Gap, and Sex Ratio: 2023

In 2023, out of the total 1,119 registered deaths, a significant majority, comprising 60.77%, were males, totaling 680 individuals, while 39.23%, equivalent to 439 deaths, were females. This reveals a gender gap of 21.54%, indicating a male predominance across all municipalities.

Compared to 2022, registered deaths in Guimaras also exhibited male dominance, with a recorded gender gap of 11.78 percent. Of the five municipalities in Guimaras, only Sibunag registered more female deaths than male deaths, as outlined in Table 3.

Table 3. Registered Deaths by Municipality, by Sex, Gender Gap, and Sex Ratio: 2022

Among the municipalities exhibiting a male majority in registered deaths, San Lorenzo showcased the widest gender gap at 28.70%, resulting in a sex ratio of 180 males per 100 females. Following closely, Jordan displayed a gender gap of 17.31%, corresponding to a sex ratio of 142 males per 100 female registered deaths. Nueva Valencia, identified as another male-dominated municipality in 2022 regarding registered deaths, showed a gender gap of 8.54%, translating to a sex ratio of 119 males per 100 females.

Additionally, Buenavista recorded a gender gap of 4.11%, with a sex ratio of 109 males per 100 females.

Registered Deaths by Month of Occurrence

Figure 4. Monthly Registered Deaths by Sex, Guimaras: 2023

Registered deaths by place of occurrence showed that all the twelve months of 2023 recorded more male deaths than females. The month of May recorded the highest number of male deaths in 2023 with a sex ratio of 211 males per 100 females. September however, recorded the least death cases with 41 individuals. See Figure 4

Female recorded deaths was high in January with 45 cases, while October marked the least death cases with 22 individuals.

On monthly registration, the highest number of deaths was recorded in May 2023, with 115 registered deaths, while the lowest was in September 2023 with 69 recorded deaths. See Figure 5

Figure 5. Monthly Live Registered Deaths, Guimaras: 2023

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.

Place of Occurrence - refers to the place where the vital event took place.

Death - refers to the permanent disappearance of all evidence of life at any time after live birth has taken place (postnatal cessation of vital function without the capability of resuscitation).