Registered Births of Davao del Sur in 2023

In Davao del Sur, a total of 9,626 live births registered in the year 2023. This figure was lower by 5.3 percent compared to 10,161 total births in 2022. This also translated that on average there were 30 babies born daily in the province.

After a decade, the number of registered live births in Davao del Sur generally showed an erratic trend since 2014. In 2014, the recorded births were 10,633, then a substantial increase until 2017. 

However, the birth occurrences in 2018 were 10,525 births, it declined slowly until 2023 which recorded 9,626 births.

Figure 2 shows the number of registered live births by municipality, categorized by the sex of the child. The City of Digos recorded the highest number of live births, with 2,900 male babies and 2,757 female babies, having a total of 5,657 births. On the other hand, Hagonoy had the fewest births, with only 3 male babies and no female baby, making only 3 registered births.

More male babies were born compared to females in Davao del Sur from 2014 to 2023. In 2023 particularly, more than half (52.0 percent) of the babies registered were males (4,941) compared to 48.0 percent (4,653) of females. This resulted in a sex ratio of 107 male babies per 100 female babies.

By city/municipality, the City of Digos recorded the most registered number of babies with 5,657 in 2023, that is, more than half percent or 58.8 percent of the births were registered in the province. This figure was higher by 7 percent from the births registered in 2022.

Furthermore, the municipality of Santa Cruz had the second highest registry of live births at 1,288 (13.4 percent) and this was closely followed by the municipality of Bansalan with 1,044 births (10.8 percent).

On the other hand, Hagonoy has the lowest numbers of registered live births with only 3 births or 0.03 percent equivalent from the total births.

Around 96.5 percent (9,292 births) of births registered in the province were attended by medical professionals (physician, nurse and midwife). There were 6,391 births (or 66.4 percent) that were medically attended by doctors, while 2,892 (30.0 percent) births delivered by midwives and 9 (0.1 percent) births were aided by nurses.

Meanwhile, 3.4 percent (330) of the live births were given birth by the traditional birth attendants (hilot/unlicensed midwife) and remaining percent were attended by others.

In terms of registered live births, about 30.1 percent (2,902) of medically attended births were registered in the City of Digos. Municipalities of Santa Cruz and Bansalan, meanwhile, have 14.9 percent (1,435 births) and 8.1 percent (783 births), respectively with births attended by medical professionals.

On the other hand, the lowest births attended by medical professionals were in the municipalities of Padada (373 births), Sulop (443 births), and Malalag (506 births).

In terms of the age group, most births (26.2 percent or 2,523 births) in the province were born to mothers who belonged to the age group 25-29 years old. Also, about 24.4 percent or 2,347 births were born to mothers under the age group 20-24 years old. Meanwhile, 20.8 percent or 2,003 births and 14 percent or 1,346 births were born to mothers with age group 30-34 years old and 15-19 years old, respectively.

Noticeably, about 0.4 percent or 36 births were born to mothers under 15 years old in the province.

In terms of births by the father's age group, 24.7 percent of births (2,374 births) wherein the age of father belonged to the age group 25-29 years old. Also, 22.7 percent (2,185 births) and 18.2 percent (1,751) births were the age of the father at birth under the age group 30-34 years old and 20-24 years old, respectively.

This translated that the women/mother gave birth with the same age group of the male/father at birth of the child.

In 2023, many babies were born in the month of January with a record of 902 births. March came next with 875 babies born. On the other hand, the month of February had the least record of births at 699.

Majority of Births are Registered on Time

In terms of registration status, 98 percent were registered timely, and the remaining 2 percent were late.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Data on births presented in this release were obtained from the timely and late registered births at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars all throughout the country and submitted to the Office of the Civil Registrar General through the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) - Provincial Statistical Offices (PSOs). The information presented includes births that occurred from January to December 2023 based on data files received by the PSA - Civil Registration Service (CRS) from the
PSOs and processed as of 31 August 2024. Figures presented herein are not adjusted for registration. This release includes births of Filipinos whose usual residence is abroad and births of foreign nationals that occurred in the country during the reference period. Births of Filipinos abroad which were reported to the Philippine Foreign Service Posts are presented in a separate report.

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 beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached; each product of such birth is considered live born.

Population estimates used was taken from the updated population projections based on the 2015 Census of Population available at https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/census/projected-population.

Approved for Release:

ADELINE G. BATUCAN
(Supervising Statistical Specialist)
Officer-In-Charge
Davao del Sur Provincial Statistical Office