Marriages in SOCCSKSARGEN Region decreased by 12.20 percent 

In the first semester of 2023, there were 8,016 marriages registered in SOCCSKSARGEN Region. This marked a decrease of 12.20 percent from the 9,130 marriages registered in the first semester of 2022. Sultan Kudarat showed the highest decrease at 35.73 percent, followed by Cotabato with a decrease of 8.66 percent. Sarangani province experienced a decrease of 7.71 percent for the same period.

Moreover, the recorded marriages in South Cotabato decreased by 6.52 percent compared to the same period in 2022 (see figure 1).

South Cotabato Province Registered Highest Number of Registered Marriages 

In the first semester of 2023, South Cotabato Province (including GSC) recorded the highest number of registered marriages, totaling 3,414, followed by Cotabato Province with 2,435 marriages registered during the same period. Out of the total 8,016 marriages in the SOCCSKSARGEN Region for the first semester of 2023, South Cotabato province accounted for 42.59%, Cotabato for 30.38%, and Sarangani for 14.78%. Sultan Kudarat had the fewest registered marriages, comprising 12.25% of the total (see Figure 2).

February had the Highest Registered Marriages

February emerged as the month with the highest number of registered marriages in the first semester of 2023 in SOCCSKSARGEN Region, totaling 1,673 marriages, accounting for 20.87% of the total registered marriages in the region. Figure 3 shows the top number and percentage of registered marriages in the first semester of 2023.

Monthly and Daily Marriages

February emerged as the most preferred month for marriages, accounting for 20.87%, closely followed by June at 20.42%. In contrast, May was the least popular month for marriages, with the lowest percentage at 11.40%.

Regarding daily averages, February and June recorded the highest numbers of registered marriages, averaging 59.75 and 54.57 marriages per day, respectively. Across the first semester of 2023, there was an average of 1,336 registered marriages per month, translating to approximately 44 marriages per week or a maximum of 6 registered marriages per day (see Figure 3 and Table 1).

Definition of Terms 

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

Civil Registration is a recording of vital acts and events in the civil registers and the resulting documents are called vital events. 

Vital Acts and Events includes births, 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/her lifetime. 

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