2.8 M Families Considered Newly Poor - SWS

An estimated 2.8 million Filipino families are considered "newly poor" in the last quarter of 2024, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on self-rated poverty showed.

-  Janvic Mateo

The survey, which found that the country's self-rated poverty reached its highest in 21 years, asked respondents if they had ever experienced being "non-poor" in the past.

Some 10.2 percent were "non-poor" one to four years ago, described by SWS as "newly poor," while 7.6 percent said they were "non-poor" five or more years ago described as “usually poor.”

The remaining 44.7 percent were described as “always poor” or those who never experienced being “non-poor.”

The survey, conducted from Dec. 12 to 18, found that the self-rated poverty reached 63 percent, the highest since the 64 percent obtained in November 2003.