SWS: Hunger highest since 2020
At A Glance
- Based on the survey results released on Tuesday, July 23, SWS found that 17.6 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger—being hungry and not having anything to eat—at least once in the past three months.
- Hunger was highest in Metro Manila, affecting 20 percent of families.
- Compared to the previous survey, “moderate” hunger hardly moved from 12.2 percent, while “severe” hunger rose by 2 percent.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey for the second quarter of 2024 found that more Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger compared to the previous quarter.
Based on the survey results released on Tuesday, July 23, SWS found that 17.6 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger—being hungry and not having anything to eat—at least once in the past three months.
SWS noted that the figure was 3.4 points above the 14.2 percent in March 2024 and the highest since the record high of 30.7 percent during the Covid-19 lockdowns in September 2020.
Hunger still highest in Metro Manila
Just like in March, the June survey found that hunger was highest in Metro Manila, affecting 20 percent of families, followed by Balance Luzon (Luzon outside Metro Manila) at 19.6 percent, Mindanao at 15.7 percent, and the Visayas at 13.7 percent.
SWS attributed the 3.4-point rise in hunger to increases in Mindanao (from 8.7 percent to 15.7 percent), Balance Luzon (from 15.3 percent to 19.6 percent), and Metro Manila (from 19 percent to 20 percent), combined with a slight decline in the Visayas (from 15 percent to 13.7 percent).
‘Severe’ hunger up in all areas
SWS said the 17.6 percent hunger rate in June was the sum of 12.8 percent who experienced “moderate” hunger and 4.9 percent who experienced “severe” hunger.
Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the previous three months.
Compared to March, moderate hunger hardly moved from 12.2 percent, while severe hunger rose by 2 percent.
In Metro Manila, moderate hunger fell from 14.3 percent to 13.3 percent, while severe hunger rose from 4.7 percent to 6.7 percent.
In Balance Luzon, moderate hunger rose from 13.1 percent to 14.5 percent, while severe hunger went up from 2.1 percent to 5.1 percent.
Meanwhile, in the Visayas, moderate hunger decreased from 13.7 percent to 10.7 percent, but severe hunger rose from 1.3 percent to 3 percent.
In Mindanao, moderate hunger increased from 8 percent to 10.7 percent, as well as severe hunger, from 0.7 percent to 5 percent.
The SWS Survey was conducted from June 23 to July 1 through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 adults 18 years old and above nationwide.