The figure of Filipino families who experience involuntary hunger declined to 20.1% in Nov. from 22% in Sept. last year, in the fourth quarter survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).
Based on the results released on Jan 14, 15.6% endured moderate hunger and 4.5% suffered severe hunger.
Moderate hunger refers to those who undergo hunger once, while severe hunger faces it often in the last three months.
“The 1.9-point decline in hunger between September 2025 and November 2025 was due to decreases in Balance Luzon and Metro Manila, combined with increases in Mindanao and the Visayas,” SWS stated.
Mindanao had the highest hunger rate with 26.7%, followed by Metro Manila and Visayas with 20.3%, and the rest of Luzon with 16.7%.
Moderate hunger in Metro Manila fell to 14% from 19.3%, and severe hunger stayed the same at 6.3%.
Meanwhile, in Balance Luzon, moderate hunger decreased by 4.5% from 17.2% to 12.7%, and severe hunger went from 6.6% to 4.0% in Nov.
In Visayas, moderate hunger increased by 2.0% from 14.7% to 16.7%, and severe hunger also went up to 3.7% from 3%.
Lastly, Mindanao’s moderate hunger rose to 21.7% from 16%, and its severe hunger climbed up to 5.0% from 3.7%.
On the self-rated food poverty, 40% of families rated themselves as food-poor, 11% as borderline, and 49% as not food-poor.
“From quarter to quarter, however, the hunger rates among the poor and the non-poor may change, either upward or downward,” SWS said.
SWS also mentioned that the highest hunger percentage is usually felt among the poor.
The survey was conducted from Nov 24–30 in the previous year with 1,200 adult respondents nationwide.
It also has a margin error of +/- 3% in national ratings and +/- 6% each for Metro Manila, Balanced Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Written by Felicity Gregorio, Insight PH
Felicity Gregorio, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
