11.9 million Pinoys see themselves poor

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August 13, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — An estimated 11.9 million Filipino families consider themselves poor, according to the latest survey by the OCTA Research group.

Conducted from July 12 to 17, the survey found that the country’s self-rated poverty rose to 45 percent, up from 42 percent in April.

Only 16 percent of respondents said their families were not poor, down from 18 percent, while 39 percent were undecided, compared to 40 percent in the previous survey.

OCTA said the three-point increase in self-rated poverty translates to 800,000 more poor families, from 11.1 million in April to 11.9 million in July. Nationwide self-rated poverty levels have remained broadly stable, but high rates persist in Mindanao.

In Mindanao, 63 percent of respondents considered their families poor, up from 61 percent in April. This was followed by 59 percent in the Visayas (from 60 percent), 37 percent in balance Luzon (from 29 percent) and 23 percent in Metro Manila (from 28 percent).

43% food poverty

The same survey also showed that self-rated food poverty – defined as situations where individuals and households struggle to secure a sufficient and healthy diet – rose sharply from 35 percent in April to 43 percent in July.

“The sharp rise in food poverty despite stable overall poverty suggests that more families are struggling to afford food, increasing pressure on household budgets,” OCTA said.

“Many may still have housing and basic assets, but are reducing the quality or quantity of their meals to cope financially. Such trends could lead to health and nutrition challenges not yet reflected in broader poverty statistics,” it added.

Only 18 percent said their families were not food poor, down from 21 percent, while 39 percent were undecided, down from 43 percent.

Despite this, the overall hunger rate, or the proportion of households that experienced not having food to eat at least once in the past three months, remained at 13 percent.

Mindanao recorded a sharp drop in hunger incidence, from 23 percent in April to just four percent in July.

In contrast, hunger rates increased in other areas: 20 percent in the Visayas (from 15 percent), and 13 percent in both Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon (from 11 percent and seven percent, respectively).

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.