F

Poverty Statistics Update

Poverty Incidence. According to the latest data from

the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), poverty
incidence among Filipinos in the first semester of 2015
acts
was estimated at 26.3% – a decrease of 1.6 percentage in
points from the 27.9% recorded in the same period in
2012, and 2.5 percentage points less than in 2006.

In 2015, most of the country’s poorest are located in

igures
Mindanao with ARMM posting the highest poverty Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department
incidence at 59.0%. In contrast, NCR has the least House of Representatives
May 2016 (No. 16)
poverty incidence with 6.5% of its population.
Regions III and IV-A also recorded low poverty
incidences of 15.8% and 13.4%, respectively.
Table 2. Poverty Incidence among Families,
First Semester (In %)
Table 1. Poverty Incidence among Population, Region /
2006 2009 2012 2015
First Semester (In %) Province
Region / PHILIPPINES 23.4 22.9 22.3 21.1
2006 2009 2012 2015
Province
NCR 2.8 3.7 3.8 4.5
PHILIPPINES 28.8 28.6 27.9 26.3
CAR 25.6 22.7 22.6 20.6
NCR 4.4 5.3 5.4 6.5
Region I 23.3 18.5 16.7 17.2
CAR 30.6 28.6 28.7 26.7
Region II 22.0 22.3 19.8 16.5
Region I 29.9 23.8 21.1 21.7
Region III 13.0 12.5 12.2 13.0
Region II 27.1 27.8 25.0 21.5
Region IV-A 10.1 10.8 11.2 10.4
Region III 16.2 15.8 15.6 15.8
Region IV-B 34.1 30.6 28.4 22.0
Region IV-A 13.1 14.3 14.3 13.4
Region V 36.2 36.5 34.1 30.9
Region IV-B 42.6 39.1 37.2 29.8
Region VI 27.5 26.7 24.7 24.2
Region V 45.1 45.4 43.3 39.0
Region VII 35.0 31.6 28.8 27.0
Region VI 34.1 34.2 31.7 30.5
Region VIII 33.3 36.2 37.2 39.3
Region VII 40.1 37.2 33.6 30.5
Region IX 41.0 41.5 36.9 30.9
Region VIII 41.4 43.8 45.4 47.3
Region X 35.1 35.4 35.6 34.9
Region IX 46.0 48.1 42.8 39.0
Region XI 26.9 27.3 28.6 20.5
Region X 42.7 42.1 43.1 40.9
Region XII 34.7 31.1 37.5 37.4
Region XI 32.7 33.4 34.5 26.7
CARAGA 43.3 43.3 34.1 35.3
Region XII 41.4 38.9 45.8 44.5
ARMM 43.0 42.0 46.9 53.4
CARAGA 50.2 51.8 42.0 43.9
Source: PSA
ARMM 49.8 49.7 52.9 59.0
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Poverty Threshold. The average amount required to
satisfy the basic needs per person in 2015 reached
Regional Poverty among Families. Poverty incidence P10,969, or a 16.9% increase over the 2012 level of
among families has been slightly decreasing from P9,385, and 63.6% increase from 2006 threshold of
23.4% in 2006, to 22.9% in 2009, to 22.3% in 2012 and P6,703. This also means that a Filipino family of five
21.1% in 2015, as recorded during the first semester of needed P4,570 monthly or P54,845 annually to meet
each year. their basic needs in 2015.

From 2006 to 2015, 11 regions improved their poverty
conditions, with Region IV-B recording the highest
poverty incidence reduction at 12.1 percentage points.
Meanwhile, NCR, Region IV-A, Region VIII, Region
XII and ARMM registered an increase in their poverty
incidence with ARMM having the highest increase of
10.5 percentage points.
Of the 17 regions, nine had poverty thresholds above
the national average. Regions with highest poverty
thresholds were NCR, Regions III and XI. In contrast,
regions with the lowest poverty thresholds were Regions
IV-B, IX and XII. Poverty threshold includes non-food
needs such as clothing, housing, transportation, health,
and education expenses.
 Table 3. Per Capita Poverty Threshold, Subsistence Incidence. Subsistence incidence is the
First Semester (In Pesos) proportion of families/individuals with per capita income/
Region /
Province
2006 2009 2012 2015 expenditure less than the per capita food threshold to
PHILIPPINES 6,703 8,448 9,385 10,969 the total number of families/individuals.
NCR 7,718 9,456 10,084 12,517
CAR 7,031 8,492 9,734 11,017 Subsistence incidence among families has improved
Region I 7,086 8,729 9,224 10,564 in the country, from 10.0% in 2012 to only 9.2% in
Region II 6,984 8,566 9,503 11,116
2015. Regions with the highest incidence in the first
Region III 7,344 9,251 10,121 11,567
semester of 2015 include ARMM, Regions XII and VIII.
Region IV-A 6,611 8,481 9,601 11,250
On the other hand, NCR posted the lowest subsistence
Region IV-B 6,238 7,751 8,527 10,097
Region V 6,618 8,420 9,022 10,940
incidence among families from 2006 to 2015.
Region VI 6,421 8,153 8,957 10,738
Region VII 7,269 8,648 9,296 10,910 Table 5. Subsistence Incidence among Families,
Region VIII 6,266 8,107 8,989 11,102 First Semester (In %)
Region IX 6,159 8,053 8,881 10,338 Region /
2006 2009 2012 2015
Province
Region X 6,450 8,456 9,604 11,257
PHILIPPINES 10.8 10.0 10.0 9.2
Region XI 6,721 8,547 9,927 11,319
NCR 0.5 0.7 1.1 1.2
Region XII 6,619 8,126 9,243 10,488
CAR 13.8 12.6 12.3 9.2
CARAGA 6,996 8,905 9,779 11,237
Region I 8.8 6.1 6.2 5.5
ARMM 6,319 8,257 10,027 10,563
Region II 8.1 7.3 6.9 4.8
Source: PSA
Region III 4.5 4.3 3.8 5.0
Region IV-A 2.9 3.2 3.9 3.3
Food Threshold. The PSA also reported an increase in Region IV-B 16.1 12.6 12.8 8.8
the food threshold in the country. Food threshold refers Region V 17.3 16.5 14.1 11.4
to the minimum income enough to purchase the food Region VI 12.3 11.1 9.4 9.8
items that are nutritionally adequate to ensure that one Region VII 19.9 15.2 14.9 14.7
remains economically and socially productive. Region VIII 16.0 16.9 17.3 20.1
Region IX 24.6 24.3 20.1 13.2
Region X 18.6 18.8 19.5 18.0
From 2012 to 2015, per capita food threshold has
Region XI 12.2 13.1 13.2 7.9
increased by 16.6%, from P6,549 to P7,638. NCR,
Region XII 17.7 13.9 20.7 21.6
Regions III and XI posted the highest food thresholds in
CARAGA 24.0 24.5 16.9 15.6
2015. Meanwhile, Regions IV-B, IX and XII posted the ARMM 16.8 15.1 20.4 25.2
lowest thresholds. Source: PSA

Table 4. Per Capita Food Threshold, In terms of the population, subsistence incidence has
First Semester (In Pesos)
Region /
decreased by 1.3 percentage points, from 13.4% in
2006 2009 2012 2015
Province 2012 to 12.1% in 2015. Mindanao posted the highest
PHILIPPINES 4,673 5,883 6,549 7,638
incidence in 2015, registering 21.4% of its population.
NCR 5,390 6,603 7,042 8,741
Visayas and Luzon recorded incidence rate of 17.3%
CAR 4,915 5,941 6,779 7,668
and 6.4%, respectively. Take note that Luzon has a
Region I 4,965 6,069 6,480 7,400
Region II 4,883 5,974 6,611 7,725
higher subsistence incidence without NCR, increasing
Region III 5,150 6,533 7,156 8,079 its rate by 1.3 percentage points in the first semester
Region IV-A 4,612 5,926 6,718 7,781 of 2015.
Region IV-B 4,389 5,385 5,933 7,051
Region V 4,645 5,896 6,299 7,646 Table 6. Subsistence Incidence among Population,
Region VI 4,509 5,703 6,257 7,493 First Semester (In %)
Region VII 5,051 5,994 6,457 7,636 Region /
2006 2009 2012 2015
Province
Region VIII 4,454 5,669 6,334 7,766
PHILIPPINES 14.2 13.3 13.4 12.1
Region IX 4,353 5,698 6,203 7,247
Luzon 8.2 7.7 7.6 6.4
Region X 4,503 5,896 6,711 7,871
- NCR 0.8 1.1 1.5 1.8
Region XI 4,692 5,956 6,900 7,878
Region XII 4,623 5,669 6,446 7,291 - w/o NCR 10.5 9.6 9.4 7.7
CARAGA 4,893 6,221 6,809 7,835 Visayas 20.6 18.2 17.2 17.3
ARMM 4,385 5,709 7,121 7,482 Mindanao 23.3 22.6 23.8 21.4
Source: PSA Source: PSA