A total of 30,140 or 4.9 percent of the total registered deaths in 2020 were due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
PSA explained that COVID-19 deaths in its latest data refer to both confirmed and probable cases as of registration, whereas figures released by the Department of Health were deaths from confirmed cases only.
Probable COVID-19 death was the 7th leading cause of death in the country with 20,840 deaths or 3.4 percent of the total deaths in 2020.
Meanwhile, registered deaths due to confirmed COVID-19 accounted for 9,300 deaths or 1.5 percent of the total in 2020, making it the top 14 cause of death during the year.
Among the 17 regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) registered the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 with 13,000 or 43.1 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths.
Quezon City reported the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19, with 2,640 deaths or 20.3 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths in the region.
It was followed by Manila City and Pasig City with 1,960 (15.1 percent) and 1,470 (11.3 percent) COVID-19 deaths, respectively.
Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) came in second to NCR with 7,000 deaths (23.2 percent), while Central Luzon came in third with 2,690 deaths (8.9 percent).
Other regions that registered over a thousand COVID-19 deaths were Central Visayas and Western Visayas, with 2,360 (7.8 percent) and 1,140 (3.8 percent) deaths, respectively.
The top three causes of death in the country in 2020 were ischaemic heart diseases (105,110 or 17.1 percent of the total deaths in the country), neoplasms or cancer (66,180 deaths or 10.8 percent of the total), and cerebrovascular diseases (64,100 deaths or 10.5 percent of the total).
PSA said these were also the leading causes of death in 2019.
It also noted that most of the 10 leading causes of death already exceeded their averages in the last five years, from 2015 to 2019.
Meanwhile, deaths due to pneumonia had the biggest decline with 22,580 fewer deaths in 2020 than its average in the past five years.