A Social Weather Stations (SWS) national survey found than more than half of Filipino families, or at least 16.3 million families, considered themselves poor as of September.
Based on the latest SWS survey, 59 percent of Filipino families rated themselves as poor.
This is one percentage point higher than the 58 percent recorded in the June 2024 survey, and “the highest percentage of self-rated poor families since June 2008.”
“Compared to June 2024, Self-Rated Poverty rose by 13 points in Metro Manila from 39 percent, and by three points in Balance Luzon from 52 percent. However, it fell slightly by five points in the Visayas from 67 percent, and four points in Mindanao from 71 percent,” the SWS said.
The third-quarter 2024 survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide: 600 in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), and 300 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The results showed that 9.1 percent had been non-poor one to four years ago (newly poor), 8.1 percent had been non-poor five or more years ago (usually poor), and 41.5 percent had never experienced being non-poor (always poor).
Of the estimated 16.3 million self-rated poor families in September, 2.5 million were newly poor, 2.3 million were usually poor, and 11.5 million were always poor.
