More than 14.4 million Filipino families said they were poor in the first half of 2025, according to a survey conducted in March. 52% of respondents said they were poor, which is almost the same as the data in January (50%) and February (51%).
Although this is down from 63% in December 2024, the percentage of those who said “not difficult” increased — reaching 36%, from 26% in December. Those who said they were “borderline” or in the middle range were between 12% and 14%.
Self-rated poverty is highest in Visayas (62%), followed by Mindanao (60%), Balance Luzon (46%), and Metro Manila (41%). The highest number of people who said they were not poor was in Metro Manila (48%), while the lowest was in Visayas (25%).
Meanwhile, hunger among poor families increased from 31.5% in December to 35.6% this March. This includes 27% who experienced moderate hunger and 8.5% who experienced severe hunger.
According to the farmers' group, most rice farmers are below the poverty line. They earn only P5,951 per month, while the threshold for a family of five is P12,030. Production costs such as fertilizer and fuel are increasing, while the price of rice is decreasing, sometimes reaching P12 per kilo—not enough to recover the investment.
