A survey released by Social Weather Stations on 12 May showed that 23.2 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger, or having nothing to eat at least once in the past three months.
The survey, conducted from 24 to 31 March 2026, showed an increase of 3.1 percentage points from the 20.1 percent recorded in November 2025. It was also 3 percentage points higher than the 2025 average of 20.2 percent.
Among major areas, the Visayas posted the highest hunger incidence at 28 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 22.4 percent, Metro Manila at 22 percent and Mindanao at 21.7 percent.
The 23.2 percent overall hunger rate consisted of 17.7 percent who experienced moderate hunger and 5.5 percent who experienced severe hunger during the past three months.
According to SWS, the survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews involving 1,500 adult respondents nationwide.
Of the respondents, 13 percent came from Metro Manila, 45 percent from Balance Luzon, 19 percent from the Visayas and 23 percent from Mindanao. Around 55 percent were from urban areas while 45 percent were from rural communities.
The survey had sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao, and ±4 percent for Balance Luzon.