Worth of P1 in 2018 now only 75 centavos in March 2026

The buying power of the Philippine peso has declined in the past eight years due to rising inflation, which quickened to its fastest in 20 months in March, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday.

At a press briefing, National Statistician and PSA chief Claire Dennis Mapa said the value of P1 during the base year 2018 is now equivalent to only 75 centavos as of March 2026.

This means the worth of P1,000 eight years ago has gone down to P750.

“The purchasing power of the Philippine peso is inversely related to inflation rate,” Mapa said.

“When inflation increase, the purchasing power of the peso decreases,” he said.

The purchasing power of the Philippine peso is computed as 1 divided by the consumer price index, multiplied by 100.

The decline of the peso’s buying power came after inflation —the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services— accelerated to 4.1% in March driven by the series of mega pump price hikes resulting from the ongoing war in the Middle East. — RSJ, GMA News