Forty-nine percent of Filipino families considered themselves poor in June 2025, according to the latest survey released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The figure is one point lower than the 50% recorded in April and represents around 13.7 million families, down from 14.1 million.
SWS said the slight nationwide decline was due to decreases in self-rated poverty in the Visayas and Balance Luzon (areas outside Metro Manila), which offset increases in Metro Manila and Mindanao.
Among those who identified as poor, 34.8% said they have always been poor, 6.4% were non-poor five or more years ago, and 7.8% were non-poor one to four years ago.
The survey also found that 10% of respondents considered themselves “borderline poor,” a two-point increase from the record-low 8% in April. Meanwhile, 41% said they were not poor, slightly lower than the 42% recorded in the previous quarter.
On food security, 41% of families rated themselves as food-poor, 10% as food borderline, and 49% as not food-poor.
Median family spending remained steady in June: house rent at ₱3,000, transportation to work or school at ₱2,000, and internet at ₱800. Mobile phone load expenses dropped from ₱400 in April to ₱300 in June.
The survey was conducted from June 25 to 29, 2025, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents, 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
