HALF of Filipino families rated themselves poor in a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey held from April 23 to 28, 2025.
According to the SWS, the score was 5 points lower than the earlier survey conducted from April 11 to 15, 2025.
SWS attributed the drop to declines in Metro Manila and Mindanao, as well as steady scores in Mindanao and Balance Luzon.
Self-rated poverty was highest in the Visayas at 67% and lowest in Metro Manila at 33%.
Meanwhile, 8% of Filipino families reported themselves as borderline between poor and not poor, while 42% said they were not poor.
The results for borderline hit a record low, surpassing the 11% score in December 2024, while the percentage of not poor families increased by 10 points from 32% in April 11-15, 2025, to a new record high of 42% in April 23-28, 2025.
This eclipsed the previous record of 36% in March 2025.
Of the estimated 14.1 million self-rated poor families in the survey taken from April 23-28, 2.2 million were newly poor, 2.3 million were usually poor, and 9.5 million were always poor.
The nationwide median self-rated poverty threshold (SRP threshold) remained at P10,000 from December 2024 to April 2025, while the nationwide median self-rated poverty gap (SRP gap) stayed at P5,000 from September 2024 to April 2025.
The median monthly family expenses nationwide based on the April 23-28 survey were as follows:
* house rent – P3,000
* transportation – P2,000
* internet – P800
* mobile load – P400
Data from the study was gathered through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 Filipino adults nationwide. SWS said the sampling error margins were ±3% for national percentages, ±4% in Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. (GMA Integrated News)
