Self-rated poverty hits 55%, highest since January

A recent survey by Stratbase and Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that 15.5 million Filipino families considered themselves poor in April 2025, marking an increase to 55% of self-rated poor families, the highest since January.

The number of families not considering themselves poor dropped to 32%, a decrease from the record-high of 36% recorded earlier this year, with the percentage falling by 11 points in Mindanao and by 4 points in the Visayas.

Borderline poverty remained steady at 12%, with Mindanao reporting the highest rate of self-rated poverty at 70%, followed by the Visayas at 67%, Metro Manila at 45%, and Balance Luzon at 44%

The survey, conducted from April 11 to 15, showed that despite a slowing inflation rate and fewer jobless Filipinos according to recent data, self-rated poverty continues to rise in all regions except Balance Luzon.

Between March and April 2025, the increase in Self-Rated Poverty was due to rises in Mindanao (10 points), the Visayas (5 points), and Metro Manila (4 points) combined with a slight decline of 2 points in Balance Luzon.