More Filipino families went hungry and had nothing to eat, at least once in the past three months, as involuntary hunger rate in the country rose to 12.6-percent in December 2023, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The research company published its latest findings on Monday, Jan. 22, indicating a rate increase by 2.8 points compared to the 9.8-percent it posted last September.
“This brings the 2023 annual hunger rate to 10.7-percnet, 1.0 point below the 11.7-percent average in 2022, but 1.4 points above the pre-pandemic 9.3-percent average in 2019,” SWS said.
Of the 12.6-percent, 11.2-percent said they experienced moderate hunger, and 1.4-percent experienced severe hunger.
As of December 2023, incidence of hunger was highest in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila) 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. Compared to September 2023, the incidence of hunger rose by 5.3 points in Mindanao, from 6.7- to 12.0-percent.
The survey was conducted from December 8 to 11, 2023, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide. Sampling error margins are ±2.8% for national percentages and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
In Metro Manila, moderate hunger fell by 3.6 points from 13.3-percent in September 2023 to 9.7-percent in December 2023, while severe hunger fell by 1.0 point from 4.0-percent to 3.0-percent.
In Balance Luzon, moderate hunger rose by 4.3 points from 9.0- to 13.3-percent, while severe hunger hardly moved from 1.3- to 1.0-percent. In Visayas, moderate hunger rose by 2.3 points from 5.7- to 8.0-percent while severe hunger hardly moved from 1.0- to 1.3-percent.
In Mindanao, moderate hunger also rose by 4.0 points from 6.7- to 10.7-percent, while severe hunger rose from zero to 1.3-percent.