If consumers had engaged in “revenge spending” last year as mobility restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic were eased, couples had “revenge weddings” the year before.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Monday that the number of registered marriages in 2021 surged 48 percent to 356,839 from 240,775 in 2020, the year government restricted travel and large gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
“This increase may have been brought about by the easing of quarantine measures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which caused the lowest marriages registered over the past 50 years as recorded in 2020,” said the PSA in a report.
The statistics agency said that crude marriage rate also increased to 3.2 or 3 marriages per thousand population from 2.2 marriages per thousand population in 2020. On the average, a total of 978 marriages were solemnized daily, it added
Calabarzon, which is acronym for the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, had the highest number of registered marriages in 2021 at 50,211.
Metro Manila, meantime, was second with 41,025 registered marriages while Central Luzon had 39,402.
The three regions also had the highest number of registered marriages in 2020.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had the lowest number of registered marriages with only 2,337.
The Bicol Region had the highest increase in registered marriages in 2021, nearly double to 23,964 from 12,212. Metro Manila had the lowest increase at around 26 percent.
