Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 15) — The number of Filipino families that lack access to education has risen in two years, according to the first multidimensional poverty index (MPI) released by a government office.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released the MPI on Thursday. It found out that education has the biggest share or contribution to overall deprivation of Filipino households with 36.5 percent and 36.9 percent in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Health and nutrition followed with 26.2 percent in 2016 and 27.5 percent in 2017. Housing, water and sanitation trailed with 26.4 percent and 27.4 percent, and employment with 10.9 percent and 8.3 percent.

Among the 13 indicators, educational attainment had the highest incidence of deprivation among families in 2016 and 2017 at 59.3 percent and 49.4 percent.

These mean that six in ten families in 2016 and five in ten families in 2017 lacked access to basic education.

Hunger, on the other hand, had the least share with 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent.

Education is the government top budget priority in line with the Constitution's requirement.

In 2016, the Education Department received ₱436.46 billion as it ushered in K-12. The budget was raised to ₱543.2 billion in 2017.

The MPI measures poverty across four dimensions, namely, education; health and nutrition; housing, water and sanitation; and employment. It seeks to complement the family income and expenditure survey. In 2016 and 2017, the MPI was estimated at 10.4 and 7.1, respectively.

The PSA identifies a Filipino "as multidimensionally deprived if he or she is deprived in at least one third of the indicators or at least four of the 13 indicators."