Hunger among Filipino families down to 9.8% – SWS

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 21) — The percentage of Filipino families who experienced hunger at least once in the past three months went down to 9.8% in September 2023, a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

According to the pollster, the latest data for involuntary hunger – or being hungry and not having anything to eat – dropped from 10.4% in June 2023, and was the same as the data logged in March 2023. 

"The 0.6-point decline in Overall Hunger between June 2023 and September 2023 was due to declines in the Visayas and Balance Luzon, combined with a rise in Metro Manila and a steady score in Mindanao," SWS said in a statement.

Per area, SWS said hunger rate was highest in Metro Manila at 17.3% – up from 15.7% the previous quarter. It was followed by Balance Luzon at 10.3% from 11.3%, and the Visayas at 6.7% from 9.3%. Mindanao's hunger rate also rose from 6.3% to 6.7%.

Of the total percentage, 8.4% said they experienced Moderate Hunger, which refers to those who experienced hunger "Only Once" or "A Few Times" in the last three months. Around 1.3% said they experienced Severe Hunger, meaning they experienced it "Often" or "Always" in the previous three months.

The poll was conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults across the country.

Its sampling error margins are ±2.8% for national percentages, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.