A recent study by storage company BOXIE24 revealed that the Philippines ranks seventh globally among countries with the highest rates of hoarding behavior, making it the leading Asian nation on the list.
The study analyzed nearly 600 hoarding-related keywords using Google’s Keyword Planner, tracking search terms like “how to stop hoarding” and “best decluttering methods.” Results showed that Filipinos searched for hoarding-related topics at a rate of 17.91 per 100,000 residents, more than seven times higher than the global average.
According to BOXIE24 founder Gerrit Jan Reinders, the ranking reflects a growing awareness of hoarding issues in Southeast Asia, driven by factors such as shifting consumer habits, urbanization, and increasingly limited living spaces in cities like Manila.
The United Kingdom topped the global ranking with a search rate 4,700% above the worldwide average, followed by the United States. The Philippines outranked Italy, Kenya, and South Korea, the only other Asian country in the top 10.
Reinders encouraged people to regularly reassess their belongings and consider adopting decluttering techniques like the “one in, one out” policy or the 90/90 rule—discarding items unused for the past 90 days and unlikely to be used in the next 90—to create healthier living environments.
