A women’s advocacy group said the Philippines’ new classification as an upper middle-income country by the World Bank masks the poverty and inequality still experienced by millions of Filipino women.
The statement came after the World Bank upgraded the Philippines from lower middle-income to upper middle-income status, citing a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $4,850 in 2025, above the $4,636 threshold for the category.
The government welcomed the reclassification, saying it reflected broad-based economic growth and would strengthen investor confidence while attracting investments expected to create better jobs.
The Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) argued that the World Bank’s classification relies primarily on gross national income per capita, “an average income measure that fails to capture income inequality, poverty, labor conditions, or women’s economic realities.”
“The problem with relying on an average income measure is that averages conceal inequality,” CWR Executive Director Cham Perez said.
“The enormous wealth accumulated by a handful of billionaires raises the country’s average income, but this does not mean that ordinary workers are earning more or living better,” she added.
CWR pointed to labor data showing women’s labor force participation remains at 52.3%, compared with 75.2% for men. It said many women continue to work in low-paying and insecure jobs, including domestic work, vending, home-based work, gig work, and export-oriented manufacturing.
The organization estimated that well over 20 million Filipino women continue to experience economic insecurity because of unstable employment, inadequate income, limited livelihood opportunities or unpaid caregiving responsibilities.
Perez said employment figures alone do not reflect workers’ actual conditions, arguing that many Filipinos remain poor despite having jobs because of low wages, insecure employment and insufficient working hours.
CWR also cited a January 2026 Social Weather Stations survey showing that 51% of Filipino families, or an estimated 14.3 million households, consider themselves poor, saying the findings underscore the gap between macroeconomic indicators and people’s lived experiences.
It also highlighted gender wage gaps of 26.2% among service and sales workers and 29.4% among workers in elementary occupations, where women are heavily represented.
The group warned that the country’s upgraded income status could eventually reduce access to concessional financing without addressing the structural causes of poverty and inequality.
“Development cannot be measured simply by crossing an income threshold,” Perez said.
“The real question is whether economic growth has translated into secure livelihoods, living wages, affordable food, quality education, accessible health care, and a life of dignity for Filipino women and their families,” she added.
