Iloilo City poverty incidence lowest in Western Visayas

Iloilo City, among major areas in Western Visayas, has the lowest poverty incidence among families, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6) showed.

The city posted a drop in poverty incidence among families, with rates falling to 2.3 percent in 2023 from 3.3 percent in 2021.

PSA said the latest figure means that two in every 100 families in the city are considered poor or are earning below the amount needed to meet their basic minimum food and non-food needs.

A family of five in the city is considered to be below the poverty threshold if their household income is below P13,933.

Meanwhile, Aklan posted the second lowest poverty incidence in the region with 3.1 percent, followed by Guimaras (3.8 percent), Bacolod City (6.2 percent), Iloilo province (12.7 percent), Antique (13.8 percent) and Negros Occidental (25.7 percent).

PSA defines poverty incidence as “the proportion of families/individuals with per capita income/expenditure less than the per capita poverty threshold to the total number of families/individuals.IMT