THE Visayas has the highest self-rated poverty in the Philippines at 62 percent, according to a recent Stratbase-Social Weather Station (SWS) survey.
The survey, conducted from March 15 to 20, 2025, shows that Mindanao follows closely at 60 percent, while Balance Luzon and Metro Manila or National Capital Region (NCR) recorded lower rates at 46 percent and 41 percent, respectively.
Nationwide, 52 percent of Filipino families consider themselves “poor,” a one-point increase from February’s 51 percent.
Stratbase-SWS estimated the number of self-rated poor families reached 14.4 million in March, up from 14.3 million in February. SWS derived these figures by applying the survey findings to Philippine Statistics Authority population projections.
Compared to the previous month, the Visayas and Balance Luzon (refers to regions outside the NCR) experienced slight increases in self-rated poverty, while Mindanao and Metro Manila saw minor decreases.
The survey also revealed 12 percent of Filipino families placed themselves in the “borderline” category, situated between poor and not poor.
Meanwhile, the percentage of families who rated themselves as “not poor” remained at a record-high 36 percent for the third consecutive month.
In March, SWS also found that 27.2 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months.
The SWS survey involved face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters across the Philippines, including 300 respondents in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon, 300 in the Visayas and 300 in Mindanao. / JJL