Courtesy: inkl
IN a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from September 14 to 23, more Filipinos rated themselves as “poor” in the third quarter of 2024.
According to the SWS report released on Wednesday, October 9, 59% of Filipino families considered themselves “poor.”
Additionally, 13% identified as “borderline” (placing themselves between poor and not poor), while 28% rated themselves as “not poor.”
The percentage of families identifying as poor increased to 59% in September 2024 (equivalent to 16.3 million families), up from 58% (16 million families) in June 2024. The SWS noted that this is the highest level of self-rated poverty since June 2008.
In the September survey, the SWS asked self-rated poor families if they transitioned to non-poor status (not poor or borderline). The results showed that 9.1% became non-poor within one to four years (newly poor), 8.1% transitioned to non-poor status five or more years ago (often poor), and 41.5% never experienced non-poor status (consistently poor).
It is estimated that out of the 16.3 million self-rated poor families in September, 2.5 million are newly poor, 2.3 million are often poor, and 11.5 million are consistently poor. The SWS also asked self-rated non-poor families (borderline or not poor) if they experienced poverty. Among these families, 4.4% became poor within one to four years (newly non-poor), 12.3% experienced poverty five or more years ago (often non-poor), and 14.5% never experienced poverty (consistently non-poor).
Out of the 11.5 million self-rated non-poor families in September 2024, 4 million became newly non-poor, 3.4 million are often non-poor, and 4 million are consistently non-poor. The SWS noted a significant increase in nationwide self-rated poverty from June to September, with a sharp rise in Metro Manila, a slight increase in Balance Luzon, and a slight decrease in Visayas and Mindanao.
In September, self-rated poverty was highest in Mindanao at 67%, followed by Visayas at 62%, Balance Luzon at 55%, and Metro Manila at 52%. Compared to June, self-rated poverty increased by 13% in Metro Manila (from 39%) and by three points in Balance Luzon (from 52%). However, it decreased by five points in Visayas (from 67%) and four points in Mindanao (from 71%).
The national median self-rated poverty threshold (SRP Threshold) decreased to P12,000 in September after remaining at P15,000 for 10 quarters from April 2022 to June 2024. The SWS mentioned that poor families have been lowering their living standards and tightening their belts despite significant inflation.
Moreover, the national median self-rated poverty gap (SRP Gap) decreased from P6,000 to P5,000. In Metro Manila, the median SRP Threshold decreased from P20,000 in June 2024 to P18,000 in September 2024, while the median SRP Gap increased from P6,000 to P8,000.
