Number of registered marriages went up by 34.6 percent

The Philippines was able to record 449,428 marriages in 2022 with a 25.9 percent increase compared to 2021 with 356,839.  The crude marriage rate of the country is 4.0 or four marriages per 1000 population from 3.2 marriages per 1000 population in 2021.  On average, a total of 1,231 marriages were solemnized daily.

In MIMAROPA Region, a total of 14,323 marriages were registered marking a 34.6 percent increase from the total registered marriages of 10,643 in 2021.  The crude marriage rate in the region increased to 4.4 or four marriages per 1000 population from 3.3 or three marriages per 1000 population in 2021. The average daily marriages solemnized in MIMAROPA is 39. Further, the number of registered marriages before the pandemic (year 2019) compared with 2022 had an increase of 1.3 percent. (Figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1. Number of Registered Marriages, MIMAROPA: 2011 - 2022

Figure 2. Percent Change of Registered Marriages, MIMAROPA: 2011 - 2022

Top three provinces with the highest number of recorded marriages

Among the five provinces and one Highly Urbanized City, Oriental Mindoro registered the highest number of marriages with 4,289 or 29.9 percent of the total marriages.  Provinces with relatively large population usually reported a high number of registered marriages.  The province of Palawan had the second highest number of marriages with 4,167 or 29.1 percent share followed by the province of Occidental  Mindoro with 2,312 or 16.1 percent share.  These three provinces collectively shared 75.2 percent of the total registered marriages in the region.  The same provinces also reported the highest number of registered marriages in 2021 (Figure 3).

Meanwhile, the highest increase in registered marriages was observed in Oriental Mindoro with 43.4 percent from 2,990 in 2021 to 4,289 in 2022.  The province of Romblon registered the lowest at 17.6 percent.

Figure 3. Number of Marriages by Place of Occurrence in Province, MIMAROPA: 2022 and 2021

Most marriages happened in May

Most of the marriages in 2022 occurred in May with 1,853 registered marriages, this comprises 12.9 percent of the total marriages in the said year.  The month of May had a daily average of 60 marriages. This was followed by the month of December with1,764 marriages which comprises 12.3 percent of the total marriages in 2022.  Then by February with 1,758 marriages with 12.3 percent share on registered marriages in 2022. On the other hand, November recorded the least number of marriages with only 631 registered marriages or 4.4 percent share of the total marriages in 2022. The month of November had an average of 21 marriages per day. (Figures 4 and 5)

Figure 4. Number of Marriages by Month of Occurrence, MIMAROPA: 2022 

Figure 5. Daily Average of Registered Marriages by Month of Occurrence, MIMAROPA: 2022 

Top ten City/Municipalities with the highest number of marriages

Out of the 72 city/municipalities in the MIMAROPA region, the City of Calapan located in Oriental Mindoro registered 625 marriages or 4.4 percent share, followed by San Jose in Occidental Mindoro with 609 registered marriages or 4.3 percent share of the total registered marriages in 2022. Followed by Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro with 590 marriages, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro with 465 marriages, Quezon, Palawan with 427 marriages, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro with 424 marriages, Narra, Palawan with 420 marriages, Taytay, Palawan with 386 marriages, Brooke’s Point with 363 marriages, Pinamalayan with 350 marriages. These ten city/municipalities collectively share almost one-third (32.5 percent share) of the total marriages in the region.  Further, in the top ten city/municipalities with highest number of marriages, four came from Oriental Mindoro, four from Palawan, and two from the province of Occidental Mindoro. (Figure 6)

Figure 6. Top Ten City/Municipalities with Most Number of Registered Marriages, MIMAROPA: 2021

Majority of couples married between ages 25 to 29 years

Of the total number of registered in the region, around one in three men, 5,047 registered marriages or 35.2 percent share, married at aged 25 to 29.  Same proportion was seen for women, 5,138 registered marriages or 35.9 percent share. In the Philippines for the year 2022, the median age of marriage was 28 years old for women and 30 years old for men. In MIMAROPA region, the median age of marriage was 27 years old for women and 29 years old for men. (Figure 7)

The number of men who are over 50 years of age (477 or 3.3 percent share) was twice than the number of women of the same group (230 or 1.6 percent share)

Moreover, a total of 944 marriages or 6.6 percent share involved adolescent females below 20 years old.  This is three times higher than the number of marriages involving adolescent males with 264 marriages or 1.8 percent share.

Figure 7. Percent Distribution of Registered Marriages by Age Group and Sex, MIMAROPA: 2022

Couples still preferred to be married in civil ceremony

Marriages that were contracted through civil ceremony still recorded the highest number of marriages with 6,753 or 47.1 percent share in the year 2022 in the region, a 5.9 percentage point increase from 2021, with 4,387 registered marriages or 41.2 percent share.  About one-third were officiated in Roman Catholic Church with 4,647 registered marriages or 32.4 percent share, while about one in every five were performed on other religious rites with 2,429 registered marriages or 17.0 percent share.  Marriages solemnized in Muslim traditions accounted for 1.3 percent of the total registered marriages while 2.1 percent were performed in tribal ceremonies.

Figure 8. Percent Distribution of Registered Marriages by Type of Ceremony, MIMAROPA: 2022
 

(SGD) LENI R. RIOFLORIDO
Regional Director

MLLM/APR/CRC

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.

Marriage is a contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.

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

Period when to report the event
Marriages that require the issuance of marriages license shall be reported to C/MCR for registration not later than fifteen (15) days from date of marriage. However, marriages that do not require a license such as marriage at the point of death (Article 27); marriages in remote places (Article 28); marriages between members of ethnic cultural community (Article 33); and marriages between men and women who have lived together for at least five (5) years (Article 34), shall be reported not later than thirty (30) day after date of marriage.

Any report made to the LCROs beyond the reglementary period are considered late and can be entered only in the civil register after the informant complies with the requirements for delayed registration.