The Philippine government continues its relentless efforts to reduce the number of Filipinos living in poverty.
According to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the poverty incidence among Filipino families slightly decreased to 10.9% last year. This figure is lower compared to the 13.2% recorded in 2021.
This data translates to 109 out of every 1,000 families being classified as poor.
The PSA also reported a drop in the overall poverty rate, which fell to 15.5% from 18.1% in 2021.
In a statement, PSA Chief and National Statistician Dennis Mapa noted that this percentage corresponds to 17.54 million Filipinos living in poverty in 2023. This is a reduction of 2.36 million compared to the agency’s data for the same period in 2021.
Metro Manila recorded the lowest poverty incidence at 1.8%, while the BARMM region had the highest, reaching 32.4%.