Deaths by Place of Occurrence

In 2020, a total of 93,637 deaths were registered in NCR, an increase of 1.9 percent from 91,867 in 2019. This corresponds to an average of 256 deaths per day or 11 deaths per hour.  The number of registered deaths from 2011 to 2020 has trended upward except in the year 2017 when reported deaths declined by -1.4 percent from the 2016 figure. (Figures 1a and 1b)

Figure 1a.  Number of Registered Deaths, NCR: 2011 – 2020

Figure 1b.  Percent Change of Registered Deaths, NCR: 2011 – 2020

One in every four deaths in NCR occurred in Quezon City

The highest number of registered deaths by place of occurrence was reported in Quezon City with 24,655 followed by City of Manila with 17,439 and City of Caloocan with 7,972.    Registered deaths in Quezon City comprised 26.3 percent of the total deaths which translates to one in every four deaths in NCR. On the other hand, Pateros (365), City of San Juan (1,157), and City of Navotas (1,171) had the least number of registered total deaths in NCR. (Figure 2)

Figure 2.  Number of Registered Deaths by Place of Occurrence, NCR: 2020

Seven out of ten registered deaths were attended by a health care provider

Attendant refers to a private physician, public health officer, hospital authority, or any other allied health care provider who provided medical attendance to the deceased.

Out of 93,637 registered deaths in NCR, 67,215 or 71.8 percent were medically attended.  Cities with the highest percentage of attended deaths were City of Taguig (98.7%), City of Pasig and City of Makati (both 98.0%), and City of San Juan (91.4%). 

On the other hand, the highest percentage of unattended deaths were reported in the cities of Navotas (50.4%), Parañaque (49.3%), Malabon (49.2%), and Caloocan (48.6%). Almost one in every two deaths reported in these cities were unattended. (Figure 3)

Figure 3.  Percent Share of Attended and Unattended Deaths, NCR: 2020

August 2020 had the most number of deaths

In 2020, the month of August registered the most number of deaths with 10,318 or about 333 average deaths per day.  The months of June and November had the lowest number of deaths with 6,873 and 6,893, respectively.  Meanwhile, the months of March and December registered the lowest average death per day with 228. (Figure 4)

Figure 4.  Number and Daily Average of Registered Deaths by Month of Occurrence, NCR: 2020

Deaths by Usual Residence

Four out of ten deaths occurred at home

Of the 84,355 registered deaths with usual residence in NCR, 56.0 percent occurred in health facilities while 43.3 percent died at home and about 0.7 percent died in places other than health facilities and home. (Figure 5) 

Among 17 cities/municipality in NCR, City of San Juan reported the highest percentage of deaths that occurred in health facilities at 72.6 percent while City of Caloocan registered the most number of deaths that occurred at home at 54.2 percent.

Figure 5.  Percent Distribution of Registered Deaths by Site of Occurrence, NCR: 2020

More male deaths than female deaths recorded

Figure 6 shows the age-sex structure of registered deaths with usual residence in NCR in 2020. It shows an inverted pyramid, with fewer deaths at the younger ages, except for children under one, and progressively increasing as people grow older.  The number of male deaths in NCR (48,100) was higher than female deaths (36,255).  This translates to about 133 male deaths for every 100 female deaths in 2020.  More male deaths than female counterparts were observed in all age groups before 80 years old.   Additionally, the proportion of males who died was highest at the age of 60 to 64 years old (5,668 or 11.8% of total male deaths) while for females, the largest was at the oldest age group, 85 years old and over (5,220 or 14.4% of total female deaths). (Figure 6)

Figure 6.  Percent Distribution of Registered Deaths by Age Group and Sex, NCR: 2020

Highest number of infant deaths recorded in Quezon City

Infant deaths are deaths that occurred before reaching age 1. In 2020, a total of 2,859 infant deaths were reported with usual residence in NCR.  This translates to an average of about eight infant deaths per day.  Almost six out of ten infant deaths were males (1,654 or 57.9%). Cities with large populations top the list with the highest number of infant deaths led by Quezon City (712 or 24.9%), City of Manila (362 or 12.7%), and City of Caloocan (297 or 10.4%).

Figure 7.  Number of Registered Infant Deaths by Usual Residence, NCR: 2020

Highest number of maternal deaths recorded in Quezon City

Maternal death is defined by the World Health Organization as, “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.’’  In 2020, a total of 277 women with usual residence in NCR were identified as having died of maternal causes.  The three cities with the highest number of maternal deaths were Quezon City (61), City of Caloocan (36), and City of Manila (35).  On the other hand, City of Navotas (2), City of Mandaluyong (3), and City of San Juan (3) reported the least while Pateros has no maternal deaths in 2020. (Figure 8)

Figure 8.  Number of Registered Maternal Deaths by Usual Residence, NCR: 2020

One in every four deaths in NCR is caused by ischaemic heart diseases

Deaths due to ischaemic heart diseases led cause of deaths in 2020 making up 25.1 percent (21,190) of the total registered deaths with usual residence in NCR. This was followed by deaths due to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with 15.4 percent (total of 13,011 composed of 9,072 deaths for virus not identified and 3,939 deaths for virus identified).  Neoplasms, also known as “cancer”, came next with 11.1 percent (9,374) of the total deaths in NCR in 2020.  (Figure 9)

Figure 9.  Top Ten Leading Cause of Deaths, NCR: 2020

PACIANO B. DIZON

Regional Director

Technical Notes

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 births, deaths, fetal deaths, 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 vital or civil registration and the resulting documents are called vital records.

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 capability of resuscitation).

Maternal Mortality refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.

Sex Ratio refers to the number of males per one hundred females.

Usual Residence refers to the place where the person habitually or permanently resides.

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