Involuntary hunger among Filipino families eased in the second quarter of 2026, dropping to 20.3% from the 23.2% recorded in March, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from June 20 to 29.
The 2.9 percentage point decrease reflects families who experienced having nothing to eat at least once over the previous three months. The latest finding sits slightly above the 20.2% average in 2025 and remains below the 21.1% average seen during the peak of the pandemic in 2020.
The national improvement was driven by declines in most major island groups, though one region saw an uptick in food insecurity.
“The 2.9-point fall in hunger between March 2026 and June 2026 was due to decreases in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, even as hunger rose in Mindanao,” SWS stated.
Regional data shows Mindanao recording the highest rate of hunger at 24%, followed by the Visayas at 22.3%, Metro Manila at 21%, and Balance Luzon at 17.3%. Compared to the previous quarter, hunger dropped by 5.7 points in the Visayas, 5.1 points in Balance Luzon, and 1 point in Metro Manila, whereas Mindanao experienced a 2.3-point rise from its previous 21.7% level.
Nationwide, 15.8% of households experienced moderate hunger, while 4.5% faced severe conditions.
“Moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger ‘only once’ or ‘a few times’ in the last three months,” the research institute clarified. “Meanwhile, severe hunger refers to those who experienced it ‘often’ or ‘always’ in the previous three months.”
Overall, moderate hunger fell by 1.9 points from 17.7% in March, and severe hunger contracted by a full percentage point from 5.5%.
Regional Breakdown:
- Metro Manila: Moderate hunger decreased to 12.7% (from 15.3%), though severe hunger grew to 8.3% (from 6.7%).
- Balance Luzon: Moderate hunger fell to 13% (from 16.6%), while severe hunger declined to 4.3% (from 5.8%).
- Visayas: Moderate hunger dropped to 18.7% (from 21.7%), and severe hunger dipped to 3.7% (from 6.3%).
- Mindanao: Moderate hunger rose to 20.7% (from 18%), while severe hunger edged down slightly to 3.3% (from 3.7%).
The survey gathered responses through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide, evenly split with 300 participants from each major geographic region.
The study carries a sampling error margin of ±3% for national estimates and ±6% for regional breakdowns.