BUTUAN CITY (December 18) – Every year, roughly 40,000 babies are born across the Caraga Region, and an increasing majority are entering the world under the care of trained health professionals, reflecting steady gains in maternal and child health over the past decade.
Data released Monday by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that from 2013 to 2022, Caraga recorded an annual average of 40,230 births. More than 90 percent of these deliveries were attended by health professionals, underscoring improvements in access to medical services even in far-flung communities.
In 2022 alone, the region logged 39,683 births, up from 35,903 in 2021. That rebound followed a decade high of 42,946 births in 2016 and a low in 2021, a year marked by pandemic-related disruptions.
The PSA said medically assisted deliveries have become the norm. Of the births recorded in 2022, 93.8 percent were attended by health professionals—65.8 percent by physicians, 26.5 percent by midwives, and 1.5 percent by nurses—signaling stronger institutional support for expectant mothers.
Male newborns slightly outnumbered females during the decade under review, accounting for 52.2 percent of total births.
Among Caraga’s provinces, Agusan del Norte posted the highest share of births, reflecting its larger population and more concentrated health facilities, while the Dinagat Islands recorded the lowest number.
Beyond births, the PSA data also pointed to broader demographic shifts. The region averaged 11,704 marriages annually from 2013 to 2022, though numbers dipped sharply in 2020 to 6,827 amid mobility restrictions and health concerns at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taken together, the figures paint a picture of a growing region where safer childbirth practices are becoming standard, even as population trends continue to evolve alongside social and economic changes.
