The Philippines achieved the single-digit target under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) three years ahead of schedule as it posted the lowest recorded poverty incidence of 9.7 percent in 2025, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) announced Friday.

The agency cited that based on the 2025 Full-Year Poverty Statistics released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday, "6.5 million Filipinos were lifted out of poverty between 2023 and 2025".

It noted that the "number of Filipinos living below the poverty threshold fell from 17.5 million in 2023 to 11.0 million in 2025."

"For the first time, fewer than one in ten Filipinos is living below the poverty line," DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

"Reaching this milestone ahead of schedule demonstrates that expanding economic opportunities, complemented by effective social protection, can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives," he added.

However, the country’s chief economist cautioned that the pace of poverty reduction is likely to moderate amid the more challenging economic environment in 2026.

“Current developments may slow the pace of poverty reduction, but early indications do not point to a reversal of the gains we have achieved,” Balisacan said.

“As we enter the final years of the administration, our priority is to ensure that families who have moved out of poverty do not fall back into it. Sustaining these gains will require a swift recovery in economic growth; continued efforts to increase investment, productivity, and job creation; upskilling and reskilling for emerging sectors; and timely support for businesses and workers affected by economic and climate-related disruptions," he added.

A recent survey of OCTA Research conducted from July 4 to 11, 2026, shows that more Filipinos rated themselves as poor as the number of families that experienced hunger increased in the second quarter of 2026.

The survey showed that "self-rated poverty increased by 4 percentage points—from 35 percent (around 9.2 million families) in March 2026 to 39 percent (approximately 10.3 million families) in July 2026."

"This represents roughly 1.1 million additional Filipino families who consider themselves poor compared with the previous quarter," it stated.

It also noted that "the self-rated hunger increased from 17 percent (around 4.5 million families) in March 2026 to 21 percent (approximately 5.6 million families) in July 2026" which "represents an increase of about 4 percentage points, or roughly 1.1 million additional families who experienced involuntary hunger or had nothing to eat at least once in the three months preceding the survey." Robina Asido/PHS