The Philippines’ poverty rate fell to 9.7% in 2025, the lowest recorded level to date, bringing the country’s poverty incidence into single digits ahead of the government’s target under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023–2028.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), in its 2025 Full-Year Poverty Statistics released Friday, said an estimated 6.5 million Filipinos moved out of poverty between 2023 and 2025.
The number of Filipinos living below the poverty threshold dropped to 11 million in 2025, from 17.5 million in 2023, according to the PSA data.
The Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) said the figures showed that the country achieved its single-digit poverty target earlier than scheduled.
“For the first time, fewer than one in ten Filipinos is living below the poverty line,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. 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.”
Balisacan said recent developments could slow the pace of poverty reduction but that early indications did not point to a reversal of the gains made.
“Current developments may slow the pace of poverty reduction, but early indications do not point to a reversal of the gains we have achieved,” he said.
Balisacan said the government’s priority in the remaining years of the administration would be to prevent families that have escaped poverty from falling back below the poverty line.
He said sustaining the gains would require a swift recovery in economic growth, continued efforts to boost investment, productivity and job creation, and expanded upskilling and reskilling for emerging industries.
The government would also need to provide timely support to businesses and workers affected by economic and climate-related disruptions, Balisacan said.
The latest figures mark a significant improvement from 2023, when 17.5 million Filipinos were living below the poverty threshold. The government has attributed the decline to improved economic opportunities and social protection programs.
The 9.7% poverty incidence means fewer than one in 10 Filipinos was living below the poverty line in 2025, putting the country ahead of the poverty reduction timetable set in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.
