More Filipino families experienced hunger in March 2025, except in Metro Manila, the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed.
The survey was commissioned by the Stratbase ADR Institute.
According to the March 15 to 20, 2025 survey, “27.2% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger – being hungry and not having anything to eat – at least once in the past three months.”
This translates to approximately 7.1 million households nationwide going hungry at least once during the period covered.
The March figure represents a significant 6-point increase from 21.2 percent in February 2025.
It is also the highest hunger rate recorded since “the record high 30.7% during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.”
SWS also noted that the current figure is “7.0 points above the 2024 annual hunger average of 20.2% after rising for two consecutive months from 15.9% in January 2025.”
It noted that the rise in hunger was felt in most parts of the country, except in Metro Manila, where numbers remained mostly unchanged.
“As of March 2025, the experience of hunger was highest in the Visayas at 33.7% of families, followed by Metro Manila at 28.3%, Mindanao at 27.3%, and Balance Luzon at 24.0%,” the SWS stated.
SWS said the national increase was “due to increases in the Visayas, Balance Luzon, and Mindanao, combined with a steady score in Metro Manila.”
Compared to February, hunger rose by “13.7 points from 20.0% in the Visayas, 4.9 points from 19.1% in Balance Luzon, and 4.0 points from 23.3% in Mindanao.”
However, in Metro Manila, the hunger rate “hardly moved from 27.3%” to 28.3 percent.
The 27.2 percent national hunger rate is composed of “21.0% who experienced Moderate Hunger and 6.2% who experienced Severe Hunger.”
SWS defines “Moderate Hunger [as those] who experienced hunger ‘Only Once’ or ‘A Few Times’ in the last three months,” and “Severe Hunger [as those] who experienced it ‘Often’ or ‘Always’ in the previous three months.”
Moderate Hunger rose by “5.1 points from 15.8%” in February, while Severe Hunger increased slightly by “0.9 points from 5.3%.”
According to SWS, the Visayas saw the sharpest increase in Moderate Hunger, rising by “12.3 points from 15.3% to 27.7%.”
In “Balance Luzon” or Luzon outside Metro Manila, Moderate Hunger rose to 16.5 percent, while Severe Hunger increased to 7.4 percent.
Meanwhile, in Mindanao, Moderate Hunger rose to 22.7 percent, but Severe Hunger dropped to 4.7 percent.
The survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews with “1,800 registered voters (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon, 300 in the Visayas, and 300 in Mindanao.”
SWS stated that “face-to-face is the standard interviewing method… Normal face-to-face field operations resumed in November 2020.”
The survey has a ±2.31% national margin of error, and ±5.66% for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao, with ±3.27% for Balance Luzon.
SWS clarified that the hunger questions are “non-commissioned and are included on SWS’s initiative and released as a public service.”
It said hunger questions were directed to registered voters starting January 2025.