A new survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) has revealed encouraging signs in poverty alleviation, as more Filipino families now consider themselves “Not Poor” or “Not Food-Poor,” with several key indicators hitting record highs.
According to the survey released Saturday, which was conducted from April 23 to 28, 2025, 42% of Filipino families identified themselves as “Not Poor,” marking a record high and a 10-point jump from 32% just two weeks earlier.
Meanwhile, the percentage of families seeing themselves as “Poor” fell to 50%, down from 55% in mid-April. Around eight percent of families placed themselves in the “Borderline” category—another record low.
These improvements mean that the number of families identifying as “Not Poor” has surged to an estimated 11.9 million, while those rating themselves as “Poor” dropped to 14.1 million, according to SWS.
“The percentage of respondent households rating themselves as poor was applied to the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2025 to arrive at the estimated numbers of Self-Rated Poor families,” the survey firm said in its report.
Respondents were asked about their ability to meet basic food needs and 51% of families said they were “Not Food-Poor”—another record high and a 15-point rise from December 2024. Only 41% of families said they felt “Food-Poor,” down from 51% in December.
“The 5-point decrease in the nationwide Self-Rated Poverty between April 11-15, 2025 and April 23-28, 2025 was due to declines in Metro Manila and Mindanao, combined with steady scores in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila) and the Visayas,” according to the SWS.
Despite these gains, data suggests that challenges remain as there are still many Filipino families struggling to lift themselves out of poverty. Many have just learned to adjust and find ways to make ends meet amid ongoing inflationary pressures.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “SWS: More Filipino families consider themselves “not poor””
