MANILA, Philippines — Six in every 10 Filipino families consider themselves poor, with Mindanao posting the highest self-rated poverty rate nationwide, according to the latest Stratbase-SWS national survey.

The April 11-15, 2025 survey found that 55 percent of families rated themselves as mahirap or poor — up three points from March 2025’s 52 percent. This is equivalent to an estimated 15.5 million families across the country who now identify as poor.

Mindanao recorded the highest self-rated poverty at 70 percent, followed by the Visayas at 67 percent, Metro Manila at 45 percent, and Balance Luzon (areas outside Metro Manila) at 44 percent.

The increase was most significant in Mindanao, where self-rated poverty jumped by 10 points from 60 percent in the previous month. Visayas also saw a 5-point increase, while Metro Manila posted a 4-point rise. 

Only Balance Luzon experienced a slight decline of 2 points, it said.

Rising poverty rates

April 2025 marks the fourth consecutive month of rising self-rated poverty, after it had dropped sharply from 63 percent in December 2024 to 50 percent in January 2025.

Meanwhile, 12 percent of families placed themselves as “borderline” — neither poor nor not poor — unchanged from March. Those who considered themselves hindi mahirap or not poor decreased to 32 percent, down by four points from the previous month’s record high of 36 percent.

Self-rated poverty has been monitored since 1983, when it was also first recorded at 55 percent. It peaked at 74 percent during the economic crisis of July 1985 and fell to its lowest at 38 percent in March 2019.

The latest results reflect growing economic pressures felt by Filipinos amid rising costs of living and stagnant wages, particularly in regions like Mindanao and the Visayas.

The Stratbase-SWS April 2025 survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters nationwide, with a ±2.31 percent margin of error at the national level and ±5.66 percent in each major region.