MANILA – According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Friday, approximately 58 percent of Filipino families considered themselves poor in June.
This figure is 12 points higher than the 46 percent recorded in March 2024, marking the highest rate since June 2008 when it was 59 percent.
The survey estimated that 16 million families felt poor in June 2024, compared to 12.9 million in March 2024.
Additionally, the survey revealed that 12 percent of families rated themselves as borderline poor, while 30 percent said they were not poor.
Self-rated poverty was most prevalent in Mindanao at 71 percent, followed by the Visayas at 67 percent, Balance Luzon at 52 percent, and Metro Manila at 39 percent.
SWS highlighted that self-rated poverty peaked at 74 percent in the July 1985 Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference (BBC) survey. In SWS surveys from May 1986 to the present, it reached a high of 72 percent in February 1992 and a low of 38 percent in March 2019.
Families who identified as poor stated they needed a monthly budget of at least P15,000 to avoid considering themselves poor. This self-rated poverty threshold has remained consistent over the last ten quarters, SWS noted.
The survey also found that median monthly family expenses were P3,000 for house rent, P2,000 for transportation to work and school, P900 for internet, and P360 for mobile phone load.
The latest survey was conducted from June 23 to July 1, using face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults.