WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by country | Page 711

Standard Project Report 2016
Country Context and WFP Objectives
Country Context
Despite years of confronting a combination of man-made and natural disasters that have particularly weakened the
poor and the most vulnerable communities, the Philippines continues to make strides in improving the country's
resilience through boosting its economy and investing in social and human development. With a population of 101
million, the Philippines has seen robust development for the past five years as a result of sustained investment,
consumer spending, and effective social protection programmes (World Bank, 2016).
The Philippines ranked at 115 out of the 188 countries assessed in the 2015 Human Development Index. It likewise
kept its spot as the world's seventh most gender-equal society and ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region in the
recent 2016 World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. In terms of economic development, the country
has registered one of the fastest-growing emerging economies in Asia. In 2016, according to the World Bank, the
Philippines posted a 6.8 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate—an improvement on the 6.0 percent
growth rate. This marks the Philippine economy ahead of China's 6.7 percent and fellow high-riser Vietnam's 6.2
percent.
The other side of the coin tells a different story wherein declines in poverty have been modest leaving marginalised
groups such as women, children and the elderly vulnerable to hunger and poverty. Government data showed that in
2015, poverty incidence among Filipinos was estimated at 21.6 percent, which means that one in every five
households was poor and had difficulty meeting basic food, health, education and housing needs. Recent World
Bank estimates suggest that extreme poverty in the Philippines, measured by the international poverty line of USD
1.9 a day (2011 purchasing power parity), has decreased from 10.6 percent in 2012 to 8.4 percent in 2015.
Philippines, Republic of the (PH)
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