About 6.5 million Filipinos were lifted out of poverty between 2023 and 2025 due to sustained economic growth and moderate inflation, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) announced.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Full-Year Poverty Statistics revealed that the number of Filipinos living below the official poverty line dropped from 17.5 million in 2023 to 11 million in 2025.
This reduced the poverty incidence to a record-low 9.7 percent in 2025, reaching the government’s sub-10 percent Philippine Development Plan target three years ahead of schedule.
“For the first time, fewer than one in ten Filipinos is living below the poverty line,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said.
Balisacan emphasized that expanding economic opportunities, paired with effective social protection, yields significant improvements in household welfare.
Between 2023 and 2025, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaged 5.1 percent, inflation averaged 2.5 percent, and unemployment stood at 4 percent. Nominal incomes rose by approximately 22 percent across all income deciles over the period, outpacing the 5 percent cumulative inflation rate.
DEPDev noted that these income gains were broadly shared across the population rather than concentrated among higher-income households. Balisacan credited government initiatives, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Social Pension Program, KADIWA, Walang Gutom Program, TUPAD, and the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, with narrowing income gaps.
However, Balisacan cautioned that the pace of poverty reduction may slow in 2026 amid a more challenging economic climate.
“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.
Moving forward, Balisacan said the administration’s primary focus is keeping vulnerable families above the poverty line. Sustaining progress will require faster economic recovery, increased investment, higher productivity, worker upskilling and timely support for businesses affected by economic and climate disruptions.