Self-rated poverty falls to 49% in June — SWS
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Following the March poverty assessment, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed an improvement in the self-rated poverty situation among Filipino families, with self-rated poverty declining by three percentage points and self-rated food poverty dropping by six percentage points from March to June.
The SWS survey, conducted from 20 to 29 June, showed that 49 percent of Filipino families considered themselves poor, down from 52 percent in March.
The estimated number of families who considered themselves poor also declined from 14.5 million in March to 13.6 million in June. Meanwhile, families who considered themselves food-poor fell from an estimated 11.7 million to 10.2 million during the same period.
Self-rated food poverty recorded a larger decline, falling to 36 percent in June from 42 percent in March.
Despite the improvement, nearly half of Filipino families continued to consider themselves poor, while more than one-third still regarded themselves as food-poor.
The latest figures also showed an increase in families who considered themselves not poor, rising to 37 percent in June from 35 percent in March. Those who placed themselves in the borderline category also increased slightly, from 13 percent to 14 percent.
Across the country, the Visayas recorded the largest decline in self-rated poverty, falling seven percentage points from 66 percent in March to 59 percent in June.
Mindanao continued to post the highest self-rated poverty rate at 61 percent, despite a two-point decline from March. The Visayas followed at 59 percent, while Balance Luzon and Metro Manila recorded 41 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
"As of June 2026, Self-Rated Poverty was highest in Mindanao at 61%, followed by the Visayas at 59%, Balance Luzon at 41%, and Metro Manila at 40%. Compared to March 2026, Self-Rated Poverty fell by 7 points from 66% in the Visayas, by 3 points from 44% in Balance Luzon, and by 2 points each from 63% in Mindanao and 42% in Metro Manila," SWS said.
Self-rated food poverty likewise declined across all four major areas.
The Visayas recorded the largest decrease, falling nine points from 54 percent to 45 percent. Metro Manila followed with a seven-point decline from 34 percent to 27 percent, while Mindanao dropped five points from 50 percent to 45 percent. Balance Luzon posted a four-point decline from 35 percent to 31 percent.
Despite the improvements, the Visayas and Mindanao remained tied for the highest self-rated food poverty rate at 45 percent.
The survey also showed that the amount families believed they needed to no longer consider themselves poor declined during the period.
The median Self-Rated Poverty Threshold fell to P14,000 in June from P15,000 in March. The median Self-Rated Poverty Gap, or the amount poor families said they lacked to reach their perceived threshold, remained at P5,000.
"The national median Self-Rated Poverty Threshold (SRP Threshold) fell from P15,000 in March 2026 to P14,000 in June 2026. On the other hand, the national median Self-Rated Poverty Gap (SRP Gap) stayed at P5,000," SWS said.
For food poverty, the median amount needed to no longer consider themselves food-poor dropped to P6,000 from P8,000, while the median food-poverty gap declined to P2,000 from P3,000.
SWS noted that the poverty threshold has remained relatively sluggish despite inflation, indicating that poor families may have been adjusting their spending and living standards to cope with limited resources.
The report pointed to this adjustment as a form of “belt-tightening,” suggesting that a lower amount needed to escape self-rated poverty does not necessarily mean families have become substantially more financially secure.
Of the estimated 13.6 million self-rated poor families in June, 8.3 million were classified as “always poor,” 2.7 million as “usually poor” and 2.4 million as “newly poor.”
The figures suggest that while self-rated poverty declined, many families continue to face persistent financial hardship.
SWS stressed that the figures reflect families’ perceptions and are separate from the official poverty statistics of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The estimates were based on the survey results applied to the PSA's 2026 medium-population projection. The survey covered 1,200 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
