04/09/2026
ISABELA CITY POVERTY INCIDENCE AMONG FAMILIES DROPS TO 3.2% FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Isabela City's Poverty Incidence among Families has taken another nosedive, this time reaching single digits for the very first instance at 3.2%, according to the latest Family Expenditure and Income Survey (FEIS) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This is down further from the previous poverty incidence among families of 10% in 2023.
2025 - 3.2%
2023 - 10.0%
2021 - 12.7%
2018 - 41.6%
📈 16,567 FAMILIES (81,012 INDIVIDUALS) LIFTED OUT OF POVERTY SINCE 2018
In real numbers: Isabela City's latest population estimate is pegged at 151,297 and average family size is 4.89 individuals per family. Therefore, Isabela City has around 30,940 families.
At 3.2% poverty incidence (among families), this translates to only 990 families (4,841 individuals) counted as "poor" or earning below the Isabela City poverty threshold of ₱32,634 per capita (individuals earning less than this amount in one year or ~₱2,719/mo is considered poor). So a family with an average 4.89 individuals earning below ₱13,295.91/mo is statistically "poor".
In 2018, Isabela City's population was at 112,120 (2015 census) or 22,916 families/households, and the poverty incidence among families then was at 41.6%. This translates to 9,533 poor families or 46,616 poor individuals.
Further, in the period between 2018 and 2025 (7 years), Isabela City added 8,024 families or 39,237 individuals to its population (highest in Region 9 at an annual average population growth rate of 3.64%, surpassing even Zamboanga City).
This means, therefore, that Isabela City was able to lift 16,567 families or 81,012 individuals out of poverty in 7 years.
Moreover, comparative poverty thresholds show a steady increase in the baseline that separates families who are either above or below the poverty line. In 2021, the annual per capita poverty threshold was ₱23,925, and went up by 2025 to ₱32,634. (A poverty threshold is the minimum monthly income a family of five needs to meet its basic food and non-food needs, as set by the PSA — it’s calculated by pricing a low-cost but nutritionally adequate food basket (about 2,000 calories per person per day) using local market prices to get the food threshold, then adding an allowance for non-food essentials like housing, transport, and clothing based on what families near that food threshold actually spend, so if your family earns less than that amount in your specific province or city, you are statistically counted as poor.)
So even as the threshold went up by 36.4%, poverty incidence among families fell by 74.4%.
Real numbers. Real impact.
The City Government of Isabela de Basilan under the visionary leadership of Mayor Sitti Djalia A Turabin-Hataman consistently placed poverty reduction programs at the heart of all of her initiatives throughout her three-terms as LCE of Isabela City.
Anchored on her 9-point Agenda, Mayor Dadah focused on inclusive growth, sustainable local economic development and good governance as hallmarks of her administration's drive to bring down poverty levels, giving individuals and families an opportunity to improve their lives, and achieve a happy and dignified existence in this part of the world.
📉 Poverty Incidence in All Regions Declined Between 2023 and 2025
By:
CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, PhD
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
Release Date :
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Reference Number: 2026-273
The Philippine Statistics Authority updates the report on the 2025 Official Poverty Statistics, initially released on 21 August 2026, based on the preliminary results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES). The updated report now includes the 2025 poverty estimates with disaggregation at the regional, provincial, and highly urbanized city levels.
As earlier reported, the poverty incidence among the population in 2025 at the national level was estimated at 9.7 percent, translating to approximately 11.08 million Filipinos whose per capita income was not sufficient to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs. Among families, the poverty incidence for 2025 was recorded at 6.4 percent, equivalent to 1.90 million Filipino families.
Similarly, all the 18 regions recorded statistically significant decreases in poverty incidence among families from 2023 to 2025, with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao showing the most notable improvement, as its poverty incidence dropped from 26.0 percent to 12.8 percent. The National Capital Region remained the least poor among the regions with poverty incidence among families of 0.6 percent in 2025. In contrast, the Bicol Region recorded the highest poverty incidence among families at 16.8 percent for the same year. (Table 1)
This is based on the result of comparing income as reported in the 2025 FIES with the corresponding 2025 poverty threshold of the region.
At the provincial level, provinces were classified into groups based on their poverty incidence among families as follows:
Group 1 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 50%
Group 2 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 40% but less than 50%
Group 3 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 30% but less than 40%
Group 4 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 20% but less than 30%
Group 5 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 10% but less than 20%
Group 6 - poverty incidence among families is greater than or equal to 0% but less than 10%
In 2025, there were no provinces with poverty incidence above 30 percent or classified under Groups 1 to 3. The highest range of poverty incidence among the provinces was 20 percent to less than 30 percent or Group 4. This is contrary to the situation in 2021, when the highest poverty incidence among the provinces ranged from 40 percent to less than 50 percent (Group 2), and 30 percent to less than 40 percent (Group 3) in 2023.
Comparative figures in the FEIS report show the following:
Philippines - 6.4%📍
Regional Accounts:
National Capital Region - 0.6%
Cordillera Autonomous Region - 2.7%
Ilocos - 4.0%
Cagayan Valley - 4.4%
Central Luzon - 1.9%
CALABARZON - 2.7%
MIMAROPA - 11.3%
Bicol - 16.8%
Western Visayas - 5.2%
Negros Island Region - 6.2%
Central Visayas - 5.9%
Eastern Visayas - 4.1%
Zamboanga Peninsula - 9.8%📍
Northern Mindanao - 14.4%
Davao - 5.5%
SOCCSKSARGEN - 9.6%
Caraga - 7.8%
BARMM - 12.8%
Provincial Accounts:
Basilan - 10.4%
Zamboanga del Norte - 18.6%
Zamboanga del Sur - 8.8%
Zamboanga Sibugay - 0.0%
ISABELA CITY - 3.2%📍
Sulu - 9.5%
Tawi-Tawi - 11.6%
