While Cebu Province has been declared the richest province in the country by the Commission on Audit (COA), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) however revealed that Cebu had the most number of poor people at 1.72 million.

Within Central Visayas, Cebu was hardest hit, with poverty incidence at 32.5 percent in the first half of 2023 (a significant worsening from 21.6 percent in the same period in 2018).

The biggest jump in poor population was in Cebu Province, where it nearly doubled to 1.45 million in the first half of 2023 from 831,450 in the same period in 2018.

The poor population also jumped in Cebu City to 143,560 from 132,860; Lapu-Lapu City to 72,450 from 49,120, and Mandaue City to 58,070 from 49,820.

Central Visayas, among the 17 regions in the country, had the most poor people with 2.56 million. It translates to 10.1 percent of the 25.24 million poor Filipinos. This was based on the preliminary results of the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey.

The poverty incidence in Central Visayas is higher than the national poverty incidence of 22.4 percent which translates to 25.24 million poor Filipinos nationwide.

Poverty incidence is the number of individuals with income below the per capita poverty threshold divided by the number of individuals. The poverty threshold is the minimum income required for a family or individual to meet the basic food and non-food requirements.

PSA said a family of five members, on average, needed at least P13,797 per month to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs in the country in the first half of 2023.

In Central Visayas, a family of five needed P14,203 per month to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs, for a per capita poverty threshold for the whole six months of P17,044, or roughly P95 per person per day.

Aside from Central Visayas, five other regions had the highest poverty incidence in the country: Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with 44.8 percent; Zamboanga Peninsula with 38.2 percent; Eastern Visayas with 33.7 percent; Bicol Region with 32.9 percent; and Northern Mindanao with 32.8 percent.

Aside from Cebu Province, there are 1.12 million poor people in Negros Occidental; Bulacan, 805,790; Pangasinan, 768,930; Manguindanao, 755,320; and Camarines Sur, 750,430.

The provinces with the fewest poor people were Batanes, 2,280; Ilocos Norte, 5,890; Siquijor, 6,430; and Apayao, 9,760.