In a report released Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, the PSA said: “Deaths due to Covid-19 virus identified and Covid-19 virus not identified, when combined, accounted for 112,772 or 12.8 percent of total deaths, making it the second leading cause of death in 2021.”
The leading cause of death in 2021 was ischaemic heart disease, which accounted for 155,775 or 17.7 percent of total deaths.
This was followed by deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases (including stroke) at 85,904 (9.8 percent of deaths).
Covid-19 was ranked third, accounting for 79,423 deaths (nine percent), while neoplasms, which refer to abnormal and excessive growth of tissue like tumors, ranked fourth at 69,541 (7.9 percent). Diabetes mellitus ranked fifth at 55,636 (6.3 percent).
Rounding out the top 10 causes of death were hypertensive diseases, 48,647 deaths (5.5 percent); pneumonia, 38,152 (4.3 percent); Covid-19 virus not identified, 33,349 (3.8 percent); chronic lower respiratory disease, 24,976 (2.8 percent); and other diseases of the genitourinary system, which refers to the urinary and genital organs, 23,309 (2.6 percent).
From 2012 to 2021, the number of registered deaths have gone up in all years, except in 2017 and — surprisingly — in 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the PSA.
In 2012, there had been only 514,745 deaths.
However, the population then was also lower at only 92,337,852 in 2012 (based on the 2010 census.)
The Philippine population was 109,033,245 in 2021 (based on the 2020 census).
This still means, however, that a greater percentage of the population, or .80 percent in 2021, died compared to the .56 percent who did so in 2012.
Where the deaths are
The highest number of deaths in 2021 were reported in the Calabarzon region at 138,298 deaths, accounting for 15.7 percent of total deaths; Central Luzon, 113,127 (12.9 percent); and the National Capital Region (NCR), 105,178 (12 percent).
Western Visayas came in fourth with 71,688 deaths (8.2 percent share), while Central Visayas ranked fifth with 67,814 deaths (7.7 percent share).
Central Visayas groups the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Among the country’s 17 regions, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao registered the smallest number of deaths at 6,662 deaths (0.8 percent share), followed by Cordillera Administrative Region with 13,241 deaths (1.5 percent share) and Mimaropa Region, 22,934 deaths (2.6 percent share).
Gender
More males died than females, with the 491,053 male deaths accounting for 55.8 percent of deaths.
In 2021, majority of the males who died (58,883 or 12 percent of male deaths), came from the 65-69 age group, while majority of the females who died (68,096 or 17.5 percent of female deaths) were 85 years old and above.
Among the females who died were 2,478 women whose deaths were classified as “maternal deaths,” meaning they died while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy, regardless of the duration of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
Calabarzon topped the list of maternal deaths at 392 (15.8 percent share), followed by the NCR, 314 (12.7 percent share) and Central Luzon, 304 (12.3 percent share).
Central Visayas ranked fourth in maternal deaths at 206 (8.3 percent share), while Bicol Region was fifth at 160 (6.5 percent).
Deadliest month
The deadliest month of the year 2021 was September, when 119,758 deaths were registered, followed by August (97,880) and October (84,428).
The PSA did not say why these were the deadliest months, but this period coincides with the period when the virulent Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, swept through the country.
SunStar Cebu earlier reported that the Delta variant was first detected in the Philippines in two Filipino seafarers who had returned home from the Middle East in April 2021.
In June 2021, Delta began showing up in local cases in the Philippines.
The first three deaths occurred in May and June 2021, according to the Department of Health.
Local transmission of the Delta variant was confirmed in July 2021.
By Aug. 6, 2021, 450 Delta cases had been detected in the country, in addition to Alpha, Beta and P.3 variant cases.