Hunger surged sharply among the poorest families in the country in March 2025, even as the overall self-rated poverty rate remained steady at 52 percent, according to the latest Stratbase-SWS national survey.
The March 15 to 20 survey found that hunger incidence among self-rated poor families jumped from 26.4 percent in February to 35.6 percent in March. This means more than one in three poor families experienced involuntary hunger, going hungry and not having anything to eat, at least once in the past three months.
The spike in hunger among the poor came as the overall poverty rate increased by a modest one percentage point, from 51 percent in February to 52 percent in March. SWS estimated this to be equivalent to about 14.4 million families rating themselves as poor nationwide, using Philippine Statistics Authority population projections.
“Hunger occurs at different rates among the Poor and the Non-Poor. At any single point in time, hunger is usually higher among the Poor,” the report noted.
It added that, from quarter to quarter, hunger rates among both poor and non-poor households could fluctuate, “either upward or downward.”
The report showed that hunger also rose slightly among the Non-Poor, which combines those who identified as “Not Poor” and “Borderline Poor,” from 16.2 percent to 18.3 percent.
Despite the elevated poverty figure, the survey also found that the proportion of Filipino families rating themselves as “Not Poor” stayed at a record-high 36 percent for the third consecutive month since January 2025. This figure is the highest ever recorded since the survey’s inception, surpassing the previous record of 30 percent in June 2024 and December 2014.
The SWS noted that the “Not Poor” category stood at only 13 percent when first recorded in July 1985 and even dipped to its lowest point of 8 percent in July 1991.
Meanwhile, the percentage of families placing themselves in the “Borderline” category, neither poor nor not poor, slightly declined to 12 percent in March, from 13 percent in February.
The self-rated poverty rate of 52 percent in March is still lower than the 63 percent recorded in December 2024. SWS has been conducting quarterly surveys on self-rated poverty since 1992, and has recorded this metric 148 times since its first run in 1983.
When self-rated poverty was first surveyed by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) in April 1983, it was at 55 percent. It later peaked at 74 percent in the July 1985 Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference survey, and in subsequent SWS surveys, reached as high as 72 percent in February 1992 and as low as 38 percent in March 2019.
Regionally, self-rated poverty was highest in the Visayas at 62 percent, followed by Mindanao at 60 percent, Balance Luzon at 46 percent, and Metro Manila at 41 percent.
Compared to February 2025, self-rated poverty in the Visayas increased by five points, from 57 percent to 62 percent, and by three points in Balance Luzon, from 43 percent to 46 percent. In contrast, it declined by five points in Mindanao, from 65 percent to 60 percent, and also by five points in Metro Manila, from 46 percent to 41 percent.
The Visayas also saw a notable increase in the percentage of families identifying as “Not Poor,” rising by six points from 19 percent to 25 percent, while Mindanao recorded a five-point gain from 22 percent to 27 percent. Metro Manila saw a slight increase from 46 percent to 48 percent, while Balance Luzon experienced a decline from 48 percent to 43 percent.
The March 2025 survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters aged 18 and above nationwide. The sampling error margins were ±2.31 percent for national percentages, and ±5.66 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The survey included the question, “Saan po ninyo ilalagay ang inyong pamilya sa kard na ito?” with response choices of “Hindi Mahirap” (Not Poor), “Mahirap” (Poor), or along the line in between, recorded as “Borderline.”
For hunger, respondents were asked, “Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain?” Those who answered “yes” were further asked, “Nangyari po ba ‘yan ng minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas, o palagi?”
The survey report was prepared by Leo S. Laroza and released as part of SWS’s public service.
