PSA: 8 babies born every hour in 2021 in Ilocos region

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LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—At least eight babies were born per hour in the Ilocos region, or 194 daily average births, in 2021, according to the  Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

At a press briefing on Tuesday, August 10, the regional PSA said the figures translated to at least 70,740 registered live births in Ilocos, or 10.5 percent lower than the 79,008 registered births in 2020.

Of the total registered births in 2021, more than half, or 63.5 percent, were registered in Pangasinan province, followed by La Union (14.8 percent), Ilocos Sur (11.7 percent), and Ilocos Norte (10 percent), the PSA data showed.

La Union Civil Registration Services (CRS) outlet supervisor Joseph Estoesta said: “Most” of the women who gave birth were 20 to 29 years old.

At least 9.2 percent of the total births were from women 15 to 19 years old, according to Estoesta.

More than half, or 40,251, of the total registered births, were registered as “legitimate,” or born to parents married to each other at the time of birth, said Estoesto.

The remaining 30,389 were “illegitimate” children.

At least 85.3 percent, or 60,345, of the total registered live births, were attended by medical practitioners, and the rest were attended by traditional hilot or unlicensed midwives, said Estoesta.

More marriages took place in the region in 2021, registering 16,915 or 15.6 percent higher than the 14,636 recorded in 2020, PSA data showed. INQ

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