THE number of Filipinos claiming to be hungry continues to rise, the December 12 to 18 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The fourth quarter survey, which involved 2,160 adult respondents and a margin of error margins are ±2 percent, showed that 25.9 percent of Filipinos claimed that their family experienced hunger or not being able to eat a least once in the last three months, up from 22.9 percent in the third quarter survey in September.
It is composed of 18.7 percent who said they experienced moderate hunger and 7.2 percent who experienced severe hunger. SWS defined moderate hunger as going hungry “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 last three months.
Hunger has been rising steadily since September 2023 at 9.8 percent, 12.6 percent in December 2023, 14.2 percent in March 2024, 17.6 percent in June 2024, 2.9 percent in September 2024 and 25.9 percent in December last year.
SWS said that in December 2024, hunger was highest in Mindanao at 30.3 percent (from 30.7 percent in September), followed by Balance Luzon at 25.3 percent (up from 18.1 percent), the Visayas at 24.4 percent (down from 16 percent), and Metro Manila at 22.2frm 21.7 percent).
Hunger also rose among those who rated themselves as poor at 31.5 percent (from 29.3 percent), and not poor at 16.3 percent (from 13.8 percent); as well as among the self-rated food-poor at 35.7 percent (from 34.5 percent) and not food-poor at 15.6 percent (from 13.1 percent).
