MANILA – The number of Filipino families who considered themselves poor and those who experienced hunger increased in July 2026, according to the latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey by OCTA Research.

The survey showed that self-rated poverty climbed to 39% in July, up from 35% in March, representing an estimated 1.1 million additional families who considered themselves poor.

OCTA estimated that about 10.3 million families rated themselves as poor in July, compared with approximately 9.2 million families recorded in March.

Self-rated hunger likewise increased during the period, reaching 21% in July from 17% in March.

The rise translated to roughly 1.1 million more families experiencing hunger, with the estimated number increasing from around 4.5 million families in March to 5.6 million in July.

Most families reporting hunger, however, said they experienced it only occasionally. Around 87% said they had gone hungry once or a few times, suggesting that most reported episodes were not frequent or continuous.

“Mindanao continues to record the highest levels of self-rated poverty and food poverty, while Balance Luzon now posts the highest incidence of hunger among the major areas. Across all three indicators, the burden remains substantially heavier among Class E households,” OCTA Research said.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews from July 4 to 11, 2026, covering 1,200 male and female probability respondents aged 18 and above.

OCTA said the survey has a ±3 percentage point margin of error at a 95% confidence level.

For the geographic areas covered by the survey, the margin of error is ±6 percentage points at a 95% confidence levelfor the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.