Hunger Rises to Highest Level since Pandemic - SWS

by  Social Weather Stations 

• Hunger rises in all areas except in Metro Manila
• Moderate Hunger 21.0%, Severe Hunger 6.2%

The Stratbase-SWS March 15-20, 2025 National Survey found that 27.2% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger – being hungry and not having anything to eat – at least once in the past three months.

The March 2025 hunger figure was 6.0 points above the 21.2% in February 2025, and the highest since the record high 30.7% during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020. It 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 [Charts 1 and 2, Table 1].

Hunger rises in all areas except in Metro Manila

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 (or Luzon outside Metro Manila) at 24.0% [Chart 3, Table 2].

The 6.0-point rise in hunger between February 2025 and March 2025 was due to increases in the Visayas, Balance Luzon, and Mindanao, combined with a steady score in Metro Manila.

Compared to February 2025, the incidence of 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, it hardly moved from 27.3% in Metro Manila.

Moderate Hunger 21.0%, Severe Hunger 6.2%

The 27.2% hunger rate in March 2025 was the sum of 21.0% who experienced Moderate Hunger and 6.2% who experienced 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 to February 2025, Moderate Hunger rose by 5.1 points from 15.8%, while Severe Hunger rose slightly by 0.9 points from 5.3%.

In Metro Manila, Moderate Hunger hardly moved from 22.0 % in February 2025 to 23.0% in March 2025, while Severe Hunger stayed at 5.3% [Chart 4, Table 3].

In Balance Luzon, Moderate Hunger rose by 2.4 points from 14.1% to 16.5%, while Severe Hunger rose by 2.5 points from 5.0% to 7.4% [Chart 5, Table 4].

In the Visayas, Moderate Hunger rose by 12.3 points from 15.3% to 27.7%, while Severe Hunger rose by 1.3 points from 4.7% to 6.0% [Chart 6, Table 5].

In Mindanao, Moderate Hunger rose by 6.0 points from 16.7% to 22.7%. However, Severe Hunger fell by 2.0 points from 6.7% to 4.7% [Chart 7, Table 6].

Survey background

The Stratbase-SWS March 2025 National Survey was conducted March 15-20, 2025, using face-to-face interviews of 1,800 registered voters (18 years old and above) nationwide: 300 in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), 300 in the Visayas, and 300 in Mindanao. Face-to-face is the standard interviewing method for Social Weather Stations; the only exceptions were early in the pandemic when movement restrictions made face-to-face impossible and mobile phone interviews were conducted. Normal face-to-face field operations resumed in November 2020. The sampling error margins are ±2.31% for national percentages, ±3.27% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.66% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

The area estimates were weighted by the COMELEC 2025 Project of Precincts data for validated voters to obtain the national estimates.

The SWS survey questions on the family’s experience of Hunger were directed to household heads from July 1998 to December 2024 or earlier, and to registered voters from January 2025 to March 2025. These items are non-commissioned and are included on SWS’s initiative and released as a public service.

The exact phrasing of the survey questions (the source language is Filipino; English translation included) on Hunger was:

“Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? (OO, HINDI) [In the last three months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat? (YES, NO)].

“IF EXPERIENCED HUNGER: Nangyari po ba ‘yan ng MINSAN LAMANG, MGA ILANG BESES, MADALAS, o PALAGI? [Did it happen ONLY ONCE, A FEW TIMES, OFTEN, or ALWAYS?]”

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 last three months.

SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data processing, analysis, and archiving, and does not outsource any of its survey operations. This report was prepared by Leo S. Laroza.

Chart 1

Chart 2

Chart 3

Chart 4

Chart 5

Chart 6

Chart 7

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

Table 6