Many poor households struggle with education, housing, and other basic services at the same time, highlighting the need for stronger and better-coordinated efforts to reduce poverty, according to the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev).
The finding follows the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) release of the country’s first official Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which looks beyond income to capture the different challenges affecting people’s quality of life.
“The MPI shows that poverty is not just about what people earn. It is also about whether Filipinos have access to essential services that allow them to live productive and dignified lives,” DEPDev Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.
Based on data from the 2024 Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS), the MPI shows that about 12 percent of Filipino households are “multidimensionally poor,” or experience multiple deprivations simultaneously, resulting in a national MPI score of 0.042.
At the individual level, about 13 percent of Filipinos are multidimensionally poor, logging an MPI score of 0.045.
Education emerged as the most common challenge, with many adults aged 19 years old and above unable to complete high school.
Housing, water, and sanitation also ranked among the most significant challenges, with many affected households living in makeshift dwellings and lacking access to adequate basic services.
The Economic Secretary notes that the new measure serves as a complement to the existing income-based poverty estimates released by the PSA through the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES).
“The value of the MPI is that it helps us see where needs are greatest and where government interventions can make the biggest difference,” Balisacan said.
“By assessing the specific deprivations, we can improve the targeting of programs, strengthen coordination across sectors, and make public investments more effective.”
Balisacan adds that the findings reinforce the government’s commitment to address poverty in all its dimensions through interventions such as adult literacy programs, affordable public housing initiatives and public-private partnership projects, the expansion of Walang Gutom Kitchens, and measures to strengthen food production and distribution systems.
“Guided by the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and AmBisyon Natin 2040, we are strengthening investments in human capital, expanding access to affordable housing, advancing universal healthcare, and ensuring food security to uplift the quality of life for all Filipinos,” said the country’s chief economist.
