ILOILO CITY – The poverty incidence in Guimaras dropped to 6.5 percent in 2023 from 10 percent in 2021, according to a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) report released Thursday.
The 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) revealed that only seven out of 100 Guimarasnons, or four out of 100 families, had incomes below the required threshold to meet their basic food and non-food needs.
“About 12,380 Guimarasnons had income below the poverty threshold in 2023, translating into a reduction of 6,360 individuals from the 18,740 individuals in 2021. The 2023 level is lower than the 17,190 Filipinos in 2018, a pre-pandemic period,” the PSA report.
Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida Losare explained that Guimaras’ annual per capita poverty threshold stood at PHP30,847, meaning a family of five needed at least PHP12,853 monthly to cover essential needs—lower than Western Visayas’ PHP13,801 monthly threshold.
Losare also noted that the income gap in Guimaras was 9.1 percent in 2023, indicating a narrowing disparity between high and low-income earners.
Among Western Visayas provinces, Guimaras ranked second-lowest in poverty incidence, following Aklan at 4.6 percent. (PNA)
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