Some 58 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as poor while 30 percent claimed they were not poor, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released Friday.
This was 12 points above the 46 percent recorded in March 2024 and the highest since 59 percent of respondents claimed self-rated poverty in June 2008, the survey revealed.
The estimated numbers of self-rated poor families were at 16 million in June 2024 and 12.9 million in March 2024.
The survey also showed that self-rated poverty in June 2024 rose in all island groups: from 33 percent to 39 percent in Metro Manila; from 38 percent to 52 percent in Balance Luzon, or Luzon outside Metro Manila; from 64 percent to 67 percent in the Visayas; and from 56 percent to 71 percent in Mindanao
Forty-six percent of families also thought themselves poor based on the food they consumed in June 2024, followed by 39 percent who said they were not food-poor. At least 15 percent said they were at the borderline.
Food-poor families were estimated to be at 12.8 million in June 2024, the SWS added.
Families identifying as poor said they need to generate at least P15,000 per month in order to avoid being impoverished.
Over the past ten quarters, SWS says the threshold for self-rated poverty has remained consistent.
Based on spending patterns gleaned from the study, respondents said they needed at least P3,000 for housing, P2,000 for transportation, P900 for internet services, and P360 for mobile phone usage.
The survey data was sourced from face-to-face interviews with a sample of 1,500 adults across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from June 23 to July 1.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline More than half of Filipino families consider themselves as poor, research says
