The number of Filipino families who consider themselves poor rose for the third straight month, according to the latest self-rated poverty survey by Stratbase Group and Social Weather Stations (SWS).
Conducted from April 11 to 15 and released on Saturday, the nationwide poll showed 55 percent of families rated themselves as “poor” or mahirap, up three points from 52 percent in March and four points from 51 percent in February.
This steady climb follows a brief drop to 50 percent in January 2025, after the figure peaked at 63 percent in December 2024.
Meanwhile, 32 percent of families said they were “not poor,” down from a record-high 36 percent last March. Another 12 percent identified as borderline poor, virtually unchanged from previous months.
SWS has tracked self-rated poverty 149 times since it first measured it in April 1983, when 55 percent of families identified as poor. The highest reading was 74 percent during the July 1985 Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference survey. Since May 1986, the peak hit 72 percent in February 1992 and dropped to a record low of 38 percent in March 2019.
Self-rated poverty climbed across all regions except Balance Luzon, where numbers edged down slightly. Mindanao posted the highest rate at 70 percent, followed by the Visayas at 67 percent, Metro Manila at 45 percent, and Balance Luzon at 44 percent.
The share of families who did not consider themselves poor dropped sharply in Mindanao, sliding from 27 percent to 16 percent. In the Visayas, the figure slipped from 25 percent to 21 percent, while Metro Manila saw a modest dip from 48 percent to 45 percent. Balance Luzon barely moved, inching up by one point to 44 percent.
SWS surveyed 1,800 registered voters through face-to-face interviews. The poll had a margin of error of ±2.31 percentage points nationwide, ±3.27 points for Balance Luzon, and ±5.66 points each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. (TCSP)
