Over 53K Aklanons income poor in 2023’s first half

AKLAN – The preliminary results of the 2023 Family Income and Expenditure Survey Visit 1 show that the poverty incidence among the population, or the proportion of Aklanons whose per capita income was insufficient to buy their basic food and nonfood needs, was estimated at 8.6 percent.

This translates to more than 53,180 poor Aklanons in the first semester of 2023, according to Engr. Antonet B. Catubuan, chief statistical specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority in Aklan.

Meanwhile, poverty incidence among families was recorded at 6.2 percent or over 10,020 poor Aklanon families.

Moreover, the proportion of Aklanons whose per capita income can not suffice to buy even their basic food needs or the subsistence incidence is pegged at 1.1 percent among the population, or 6,890 food- poor Aklanons, and 0.9 percent among families, or 1,510 food- poor Aklanon families.

Both poverty and subsistence incidences among the province’ s population dropped significantly from 24.9 percent and 9.2 percent recorded in the first semester of 2021, respectively.

On average, a family of five members in Aklan will need at least P8,541 per month to meet their basic food needs and at least P12,226 per month to meet their basic food and non- food needs during the reference period, satisfying the nutritional requirements based on the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake.

Aklan had the l owest poverty and subsistence incidence levels among the six provinces and two highly urbanized cities of Western Visayas in the first half of 2023 and is now categorized as the least poor province.