Poverty in the Philippines

In 2021, official government statistics reported that the Philippines had a poverty rate of 18.1%, (or roughly 19.99 million Filipinos), significantly lower than the 49.2 percent recorded in 1985 through years of government poverty reduction efforts. From 2018 to 2021, an estimated 2.3 million Filipinos fell into poverty amid the economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, the rate of decline of poverty has been slower compared with other East Asian Countries, such as People's Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, Indonesia, or Vietnam. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) deputy director general Rosemarie Edillon attributed this to a generally low and stable inflation, improved incomes and higher employment rates during the period. In 2022, the poverty situation in the Philippines has seen a steady ease

Some of the many causes of poverty are bad governance, corruption, a political system dominated by political dynasties, vulnerability to environmental disasters, and the lack of available jobs.