More Filipino families have experienced involuntary hunger—being hungry and not having anything to eat—in the last quarter of 2024, based on the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Dec. 12 to 18.

The results, released on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, revealed that 25.9 percent of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger, a three-point increase from 22.9 percent in the third quarter of 2024.

This is also the highest hunger rate since the 30.7 percent peak during the Covid-19 lockdowns in September 2020.

SWS added that the 2024 annual hunger average of 20.2 percent was nearly double the 2023 annual average of 10.7 percent and just 0.9 percentage points below the record-high 2020 annual average of 21.1 percent.

Hunger rises in Balance Luzon, falls slightly in Visayas

The December 2024 survey results showed that the experience of hunger was highest in Mindanao, with 30.3 percent of families experiencing hunger, followed by Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), at 25.3 percent, the Visayas, at 24.4 percent, and Metro Manila, at 22.2 percent.

SWS attributed the three-point increase in hunger between September and December to the rise in Balance Luzon and a slight increase in Metro Manila, combined with a decline in the Visayas and a slight change in Mindanao.

Compared to September, the incidence of hunger rose from 18.1 percent to 25.3 percent in Balance Luzon, while it increased slightly from 21.7 percent to 22.2 percent in Metro Manila.

However, it fell from 26 percent to 24.4 percent in the Visayas, while it hardly changed from 30.7 to 30.3 percent in Mindanao.

Moderate vs severe hunger

SWS explained that the 25.9 percent hunger rate in December 2024 was the sum of 18.7 percent who experienced “moderate hunger” and 7.2 percent who experienced “severe hunger.”

It said 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.

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.

SWS said moderate and severe hunger increased from 16.8 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively, in December.

The SWS survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 2,160 adults, aged 18 and above, nationwide: 1,080 in Balance Luzon, and 360 each in Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±2 percent for national percentages, ±3 percent in Balance Luzon, and ±5 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.