More Filipino households went through involuntary hunger – or being hungry and not having anything to eat – in the last quarter of 2023, a poll conducted by Social Weather Stations showed on Monday.

Results of the 8 to 11 December 2023 survey found that 12.6 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.

The data increased by 2.8 percentage points from 9.8 percent in September 2023 and up by 6.7 percentage points from 11.8 percent in December 2022.

As a result, the yearly hunger rate for 2023 is 10.7 percent, which is 1.4 points higher than the pre-pandemic 9.3 percent average in 2019 but 1.0 point lower than the 11.7 percent average in 2022.

*Hunger rate*

SWS said the latest hunger rate was the sum of 11.2 percent who experienced Moderate Hunger and 1.4% who experienced Severe Hunger.

'Moderate hunger' is defined as experiencing involuntary hunger once or twice in the previous three months, and 'severe hunger' is defined as experiencing frequent hunger for the past months.

Moderate hunger rose by 2.8 points from 8.4 percent from September 2023, while Severe Hunger hardly moved from 1.3 percent from the previous quarter.

In Metro Manila, Moderate Hunger fell by 3.6 points from 13.3% in September 2023 to 9.7 percent in December 2023, while Severe Hunger fell by 1.0 point from 4.0% to 3.0 percent.

Moderate Hunger in Balance Luzon, or Luzon outside the National Capital Region, rose by 4.3 points from 9.0 percent last September to 13.3 percent in December. Severe hunger in the said region hardly declined from 1.3 percent to 1.0 percent.

In the Visayas, Moderate Hunger rose by 2.3 points from 5.7 percent to 8.0 percent, while Severe Hunger hardly moved from 1.0 percent to 1.3 percent.

In Mindanao, Moderate Hunger rose by 4.0 points from 6.7 percent to 10.7 percent, while Severe Hunger rose from 0 percent in September to 1.3 percent in December.

*Hunger incidence*

SWS said more Filipinos experienced involuntary hunger in Balance Luzon as of December 2023 at 14.3 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 12.7 percent, Mindanao at 12.0 percent, and the Visayas at 9.3 percent of families.

"The 2.8-point rise in hunger between September 2023 and December 2023 was due to increases in Mindanao, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, combined with a decline in Metro Manila," SWS said.

Hunger incidence rose by 5.3 points in Mindanao, from 6.7 percent in September to 12.0 percent in December.

In Balance Luzon, hunger incidence increased by 4.0 points from 10.3 percent to 14.3 percent.

It also rose by 2.6 points in the Visayas, from 6.7 percent to 9.3 percent.

However, it fell by 4.6 points in Metro Manila, from 17.3 percent the previous quarter to 12.7 percent in December.

_*SWS conducted its survey using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), the Visayas, and Mindanao.*_

_*The sampling error margins are ±2.8 percent for national percentages, and ±5.7 percent for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.*_