Poverty Incidence among population was highest in Quezon Province

With an estimated 10.2 percent, as of 2023, the province of Quezon posted the highest poverty incidence among population or the proportion of poor individuals whose per capita income is not sufficient to meet their basic food and non-food needs in CALABARZON. It is higher by 2.3 percentage points compared to the total poverty incidence of the region recorded at 7.9 percent (Summary Statistics Table 1). On the other hand, poverty incidence in the province of Cavite was estimated at 6.7 percent, the lowest among the provinces in the region.

Figure 1. Poverty Incidence (%) among Population by Province, CALABARZON: 2023

Rizal recorded an increasing poverty incidence among families

Comparing the provinces, poverty incidence in Rizal shows an increasing trend from 3.3 percent in 2018 to 4.3 percent in 2021 and further up to 5.6 percent in 2023.  The increase from 2018 to 2023 is statistically significant.

In 2023, the lowest percentage of poor families was recorded in Cavite at 4.3 percent.  While Quezon posted the highest poverty incidence at 6.9 percent.  

Moreover, results on poverty incidence among families for the three-year period i.e. 2018, 2021 and 2021 was highest in Quezon recorded at 9.3, 16.3 and 6.9 percent, respectively. The decrease of 9.4 percentage points in poverty incidence of the province from 2021 to 2023 is significant.  Also, for Batangas, the decrease in poverty incidence from 8.6 percent in 2018 to 4.3 percent in 2021 is also significant.

Lastly, it can be noted that almost all provinces posted increment in poverty incidence during the pandemic period (2021) except for Batangas which noted only 4.3 percentage of poor families.

Figure 2. Poverty Incidence (%) among Families by Province, CALABARZON: 
2018, 2021, and 2023

Poor individuals in the region reached 1.35 million

The proportion of poor individuals in the region was estimated at 1.35 million (Summary Statistics Table 2). Cavite and Rizal recorded the highest number of poor individuals estimated at 299.1 thousand and 285.4 thousand, respectively.  It comprised about 22.2 percent and 21.2 percent of the total poor population in the region, respectively.  Moreover, Laguna had an estimate of 275.0 thousand poor individuals; while Batangas had about 248.2 thousand. The least number of poor population was recorded in the province of Quezon comprising 17.7 percent of the total poor individuals in the region.  

Figure 3. Percent Distribution of Poor Population by Province, CALABARZON: 2023

Number of poor families increased in Batangas and Rizal

Out of the 226.7 thousand (Summary Statistics Table 2) poor families in the region, the provinces of Batangas and Rizal recorded an increase in the number of poor families from 2021 to 2023 (Figure 4). Batangas posted an increase of about 7.2 thousand poor families and Rizal by about 11.4 thousand poor families.

The number of poor families decreased in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon from 2021 to 2023, with Quezon posting the highest decrease of about 50 thousand poor families.

Figure 4. Magnitude of Poor Families by Province, CALABARZON:
2018, 2021, and 2023
(in thousands)

About 237.8 thousand individuals belong to the subsistence poor

Subsistence incidence among population was recorded at 1.4 percent which translates to about 237.8 thousand (Summary Statistics Table 3) Filipino residents of the region. They had income that is not enough to buy their basic food needs.

Rizal province had the highest subsistence incidence among families and population as compared to the other provinces in CALABARZON (Table 1). While the province of Cavite recorded the lowest subsistence incidence in the region. Subsistence incidence in Quezon significantly improved from 2021 to 2023.

Table 1. Subsistence Incidence among Families and Population by Province, CALABARZON: 2018, 2021, and 2023
(in percent)

Cavite recorded the highest poverty threshold

Poverty threshold is the minimum income required for a family or individual to meet the basic food and non-food requirements. For a family of five, the monthly Poverty threshold in the region was estimated at PhP15,457 (Table 2). The province of Laguna had the highest increase in poverty threshold of about 28.8 percent.  While Quezon province had the lowest level of increment at 7.0 percent.

For a family of five members, the monthly food threshold in CALABARZON was estimated at an average of PhP11,002. Food threshold is the minimum income required for a family or individual to meet the basic food needs.

Table 2. Food Threshold and Poverty Threshold per Family by Province, 
CALABARZON: 2021 and 2023

A family of five in the region needs at least PhP2,614 to move out of poverty

The income gap measures the average amount of income required by the poor in order to get out of poverty, expressed in relation to the poverty thresholds. The income gap in CALABARZON was estimated at 16.9 percent in 2023.  Thus, on average, a poor family of five members needs an additional monthly income of about PhP2,614 to move out of poverty.

Moreover, poverty gap is the total income shortfall of families or individuals with income below the poverty threshold divided by the total number of families or individuals. Table 3 shows that the poverty gap in the region decrease by 0.5 percentage point. The provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Quezon also incurred decreases in their estimates of poverty gap of about 0.6, 0.5 and 2.6 percentage points, respectively.

Table 3. Income Gap and Poverty Gap by Province, 
CALABARZON: 2021 and 2023

(SGD.)
CHARITO C. ARMONIA
Regional Director
PSA Region IV-A

COB/JGM