SWS: 14.2-M Filipinos rate themselves poor

Half of Filipino families, or an estimated 14.2-million households, rated themselves “mahirap” or poor in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) national survey conducted from 24 to 30 September.

The 50-percent poverty rate marked a one-point rise from the 49 percent recorded last June, and returned to the level seen in April this year, according to the Third Quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey.

Meanwhile, 12 percent of families rated themselves as borderline poor, up two points from June, while 38 percent considered themselves “not poor,” three points lower than the previous quarter.

Regional differences

SWS noted that the slight nationwide increase in self-rated poverty stemmed from the rising numbers in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, offsetting the decline in the Visayas, while Mindanao remained unchanged.

Self-rated poverty rose in Metro Manila by 7 points (from 36 percent to 43 percent) and in Balance Luzon by 4 points (from 38 percent to 42 percent), while it fell in the Visayas by 6 points (from 60 percent to 54 percent) and remained unchanged in Mindanao at 69 percent, the highest among all regions.

Borderline families jumped sharply in the Visayas, from 12 percent to 24 percent, while the proportion of “not poor” families dropped in most areas, particularly in Metro Manila (from 57 percent to 51 percent) and the Visayas (from 28 percent to 23 percent).

When asked about the kind of food their families ate, 41 percent of respondents rated themselves as food-poor, unchanged since April. Another 11 percent were food borderline, while 47 percent said they were not food-poor.

The rate of food poverty was highest in Mindanao (61 percent), followed by the Visayas (40 percent), Metro Manila (35 percent), and Balance Luzon (33 percent).

SWS estimated that 11.5 million families nationwide consider themselves food-poor.

The national Self-Rated Poverty Threshold, the minimum monthly home budget poor families say they need to escape poverty, remained at P12,000, unchanged from June. The median poverty gap, or the amount they need to reach that threshold, also held steady at P5,000.

However, regional variations showed contrasting trends, with the poverty threshold in Metro Manila remaining steady at P20,000, falling in the Visayas from P12,000 to P10,000, and rising in Mindanao from P10,000 to P11,500.

SWS said the stagnation of these thresholds despite inflation suggests that “poor families have been lowering their living standards, i.e., belt-tightening.”

The food poverty threshold fell nationally from P7,000 to P6,000, while the food poverty gap remained at P3,000.

The survey found that 5.7 percent of families, or equivalent to 1.6 million households, became poor within the last one to four years. Another 8.7 percent had been non-poor more than five years ago, while 36 percent said they had always been poor.

Conversely, among those who now consider themselves non-poor, 13.3 percent said they were poor within the last four years, 21.1 percent said they were poor more than five years ago, and 15.1 percent said they have never been poor.

SWS also reported modest increases in basic household expenses, with median monthly spending at P3,000 for house rent (P4,000 in Metro Manila), P2,000 for transportation, P900 for internet (P1,200 in Metro Manila), and P360 for mobile phone load.

Internet and phone load costs rose slightly nationwide compared to June, while rent and transportation expenses remained steady overall.