SWS: Nationwide hunger rate up to 14.2%, Metro Manila hunger at worst with 19%

Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger, meaning being hungry and not having anything to eat, increased to 14.2%, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll showed.

The SWS survey, conducted last March 21 to 25, showed that the 14.2% Filipino families who had involuntary hunger was higher than the December 2023 figure of 12.6% and the highest since May 2021 when it reached 16.8%.

In addition, the 14.2% was 3.5 points above the 10.7% annual hunger rate of 2023.

Of the 14.2% families who experienced hunger, 12.2% had moderate hunger while 2% suffered from severe hunger.

Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months.

Meanwhile, severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the previous three months.

Compared with December 2023, moderate hunger slightly went up to 12.2% from 11.2%.

Severe hunger, on the other hand, increased to 2% from 1.4% in December 2023.

Worst hunger in Metro Manila

The hunger experience is the worst in Metro Manila at 19% of families, followed by Balance Luzon at 15.3%, Visayas at 15%, and Mindanao at 8.7%.

The 19% hunger incidence in Metro Manila in March is a huge increase from 12.7% in December 2023.

Visayas’ hunger incidence of 15% also increased by 5.7 points from 9.3% in December 2023.

Hunger in Balance Luzon only slightly increased to 15.3% from 14.3%.

Mindanao was the lone gainer with its hunger incidence falling to 8.7% from 12% in December 2023.

The SWS poll was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide. Of the 1,500 respondents, 600 are in Balance Luzon while 300 respondents were asked in each of Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.

The sampling error margins are ±2.5% for national percentages, ±4.0% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.7% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

The area estimates were weighted by the Philippine Statistics Authority medium-population projections for 2024 to obtain the national estimates. —KG, GMA Integrated News