SWS: Hunger rate rises to 22.9 percent in third quarter

COMPOSITE IMAGE: JEROME CRISTOBAL / INQUIRER FILE AND STOCK PHOTOS

Hunger in the country went up to 22.9 percent in September from the recorded 17.6 percent in June, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The survey conducted from Sept. 14 to 23 showed that the increase was due to the nearly double hike in figures in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The latest hunger rate is the highest since the record high 30.7 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.

The SWS defines involuntary hunger as being hungry and not having anything to eat at least once in the past three months.

The experience of hunger was highest in Mindanao (30.7 percent in September from 15.7 percent in June) followed by the Visayas (26 percent from 13.7 percent), Metro Manila (21.7 percent from 20 percent) and Luzon outside of Manila (18.1 percent from 19.6 percent).

The overall hunger rate is the sum of 16.8 percent who experienced “moderate hunger” and 6.1 percent who experienced “severe hunger.”

According to SWS, moderate hunger refers to those who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, while severe hunger refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” during the same period.

The survey used in-person interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent for national percentages. —INQUIRER RESEARCH