Hunger is silently tightening its grip on the Philippines, and the numbers are alarming. A staggering 22% of Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in September 2025, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. But what does this mean? SWS defines involuntary hunger as the painful reality of being hungry without having anything to eat—a situation no family should ever face.
Conducted from September 24 to 30, 2025, the survey revealed a disturbing trend: hunger rates soared by 5.9 points from June 2025, when it stood at 16.1%. This marks a 20% increase from the April 23–28, 2025 survey. While the 20.2% average for 2025 mirrors the 2024 figures, it’s still alarmingly close to the record-high 21.1% average recorded in 2020 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s where it gets even more concerning: Metro Manila topped the list with a hunger rate of 25.7%, followed by Balance Luzon at 23.8%, Mindanao at 19.7%, and the Visayas at 18.7%. The Visayas, however, was the only region where hunger rates didn’t rise between June and September 2025.
But here’s where it gets controversial: of the families affected, 16% experienced moderate hunger, while 5.2% faced severe hunger. SWS clarifies that moderate hunger refers to those who went hungry 'only once' or 'a few times' in the past three months, while severe hunger describes those who suffered 'often' or 'always' during the same period. Even more troubling, both moderate and severe hunger rates increased compared to June 2025, by 3.9 points and 1.9 points, respectively.
The survey also sheds light on the stark divide between the poor and the non-poor. 41% of Filipino families self-identify as food-poor, 11% as food-borderline, and 47% as not food-poor. In a separate SWS survey, a shocking 50% of Filipino families consider themselves poor overall. While hunger is predictably higher among the poor, the rates can fluctuate quarterly for both groups. In September 2025, hunger among self-rated poor families jumped from 21.0% in June to 26.9%, while non-poor families saw an increase from 11.4% to 17.0%.
And this is the part most people miss: even among the non-food-poor, hunger rates rose from 12.4% to 15.3% between June and September 2025. This suggests that hunger is not just a problem for the poorest—it’s creeping into households that might otherwise seem secure.
The SWS survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 Filipino adults, carries a sampling error margin of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Is this a temporary spike or a sign of a deeper, systemic issue? As hunger rates climb, the question remains: What can be done to ensure no Filipino family goes to bed hungry? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a conversation that could lead to real change.
