13 million families identified as poor in Q4 of 2023 — SWS

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly half of Filipino families, or 13 million households, considered themselves poor during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS). 

The poll conducted from December 8 to 11 found that 47% of Filipino families reported feeling poor. The figure hardly changed from the 48%, or 13.2 million households, recorded in September. 

The proportion of “borderline” families—or those between the “poor” and “not poor” categories—rose by six points to 33% in the fourth quarter of last year. 

Meanwhile, 20% of households identified as “not poor,” a five-point decrease from September. 

SWS said the 2023 annual average self-rated poor families was 48%, mirroring the 2022 figure and exceeding the pre-pandemic average of 45% in 2019. 

Of the estimated 13 million self-rated poor households, 2.2 million were newly poor, 1.6 million were usually poor, and 9.2 million were always poor. Newly poor families refer to those who were non-poor one to four years ago, while usually poor were non-poor five or more years ago. 

Rise in Balance Luzon

The polling firm attributed the one-point decline in the self-rated poor figure to a decline in Mindanao, combined with a slight increase in Balance Luzon, or Luzon areas outside Metro Manila, and steady scores in the capital region and Visayas. 

Self-rated poverty fell in Mindanao to 61% from 71%, but it rose slightly in Balance Luzon to 39% from 35%. The figure hardly moved in Metro Manila to 37% from 38% and Visayas to 58% from 59%. 

The percentage of “borderline” households increased in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, to 34% from 25% and to 32% from 25%, respectively. It hardly changed in Visayas to 35% from 32%, while it stayed at 29% in the capital region.

Food-poor Filipinos 

The December poll also found the percentage of food-poor families hardly moved to 32% from 34% in September. This translates to 8.9 million food-poor families in the fourth quarter.

The proportion of those who identified as food “borderline” households was up by six points to 41% in the last quarter of 2023, while families who said they were not food-poor fell by five points to 26%. 

Last year’s annual average food-poor families was 35%, slightly above the 33% in 2022 and four points above the pre-pandemic average of 31%. 

The SWS survey also revealed the self-rated poverty (SRP) threshold, or the minimum monthly budget Filipinos families say they need to be considered not poor, stayed at P15,000 in December. 

“[The SRP threshold] has remained sluggish for several years despite considerable inflation. This indicates that poor families have been lowering their living standards, i.e., belt-tightening,” the pollster said. 

Meanwhile, the national median self-rated poverty gap, or how much families lack in home expenses relative to their stated threshold, rose to P7,000 in December from P5,000 in September.