Around 63 percent of families saw themselves as poor, the highest percentage of self-rated poverty in 21 years, according to a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Wednesday.

This number is higher compared to 59 percent in September 2024, which showed that it rose steadily for the third consecutive quarter from 46 percent in March to 58 percent in June of the same year.

“This was the highest percentage of Self-Rated Poor families in 21 years, since 64 percent in November 2003,” the SWS said.

This translates to 17.4 million families who rated themselves as poor in December 2024 and 16.3 million in September 2024.

The poll also showed that 26 percent of families saw themselves as not poor, while 11 percent considered themselves borderline (or the line between poor and not poor).

The fourth quarter survey was conducted from December 12 to 18, involving 2,160 adults nationwide. Jaspearl Tan/DMS