MANILA, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines registered 694,821 deaths in 2023, a 2.2 percent increase from 679,766 deaths registered in 2022, the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) said Friday.
"This corresponds to a crude death rate of 6.2 or six deaths per 1,000 population," said PSA Chief Undersecretary Dennis Mapa in a report.
On average, Mapa said there were 1,904 deaths per day, which translates to 79 deaths per hour or approximately one death per minute.
"The number of registered deaths from 2014 to 2023 has experienced dynamic shifts, with notable decreases observed in 2017, 2020, and 2022," Mapa added.
Over the ten years, he said, the total registered deaths increased by 29.4 percent, rising from 536,999 in 2014 to 694,821 in 2023.
In 2023, ischaemic heart disease emerged as the leading cause of death in the Philippines, accounting for 18.6 percent of the total registered deaths.
Neoplasms or cancer followed as the second leading cause, which made up 10.7 percent of deaths.
Mortality due to cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, ranked third at 10 percent. Pneumonia ranked fourth, contributing 6.3 percent of the total deaths. ■