Survey results published by Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that the number of Filipino families rating themselves poor hiked to 58% in June, up by 12% versus the same survey earlier in March.
The increase from 46% to 58% signifies a rise of 3.1 million from the self-rated poverty level of 12.9 million that was documented in March 2024.
The current self-rated poverty level, according to SWS, is at its highest point since June 2008, when it reached a peak of 59%.
The survey found that only 30% of families indicated they were not at all poor, while 12% described themselves as borderline poor.
The majority of households in Mindanao (71%) rated themselves as poor, with the Visayas region following closely after with 67%.
Metro Manila had the lowest self-rated poverty level at 39%, whereas the broader Balance Luzon registered a self-rated poverty rate of 52%.
Families identifying as poor said they need to make at least P15,000 per month in order to avoid being considered impoverished.
Over the past ten quarters, SWS says the threshold for self-rated poverty has remained consistent.
Based on gleaned information on the median monthly expenses of families obtained from the study, these expenses are now set at P3,000 for housing, P2,000 for transportation, P900 for internet services, and P360 for mobile phone usage.
The survey data is sourced from face-to-face interviews with a sample of 1,500 adults across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from June 23 to July 1.
The findings reflect a trend of increasing self-rated poverty being observed across all regions surveyed.
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