BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 15 -- The Caraga Region recorded an average of 40,230 births annually from 2013 to 2022, with over 90 percent attended by health professionals, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Monday.

Births in 2022 totaled 39,683, an increase from 35,903 in 2021. The highest number was logged in 2016 with 42,946, and the lowest in 2021.

"In 2022 alone, 93.8 percent of births in the region were attended by health professionals, with 65.8 percent by physicians, 26.5 percent by midwives, and 1.5 percent by nurses," PSA-13 said.

Male births slightly outnumbered females, accounting for 52.2 percent of births during the decade.

Agusan del Norte recorded the highest proportion of births among provinces, while Dinagat Islands ...