The growth of the real gross domestic product (GDP) in the Philippines was forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.6 percentage points. This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2029. The growth is estimated to amount to 6.31 percent in 2029. As described by the International Monetary Fund, this indicator describes the annual change in the gross domestic product at constant prices. This is expressed in national currency units. Here the gross domestic product represents the total value of the final goods and services produced during a year.Find more key insights for the growth of the real gross domestic product (GDP) in countries like Vietnam, Laos, and Malaysia.

In 2023, the real gross domestic product (GDP) in the Philippines grew by approximately 5.55 percent, marking the highest growth rate in Southeast Asia. In comparison, Singapore's real GDP growth rate dropped to less than 1.1 percent. Most Southeast Asian economies are projected to see an increase in their real GDP growth rates in 2025 compared to 2023, except for Laos and Myanmar. Southeast Asia, a tapestry of economic and cultural complexity Historically a critical component of global trade, Southeast Asia is a diverse region with heterogeneous economies. The region comprises 11 countries in total. While Singapore is a highly developed country economy and Brunei has a relatively high GDP per capita, the rest of the Southeast Asian countries are characterized by lower GDPs per capita and have yet to overcome the middle-income trap. Malaysia is one of these countries, having reached the middle-income level for many decades but yet to grow incomes proportionally to its economic development. Nevertheless, Southeast Asia’s young population will further drive economic growth across the region’s markets. ASEAN’s economic significance Aiming to promote economic growth, social progress, cultural development, and regional stability, all Southeast Asian countries except for Timor-Leste are part of the political and economic union Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Even though many concerns surround the union, ASEAN has avoided trade conflicts and is one of the largest and most dynamic trade zones globally. Factors such as the growing young population, high GDP growth, a largely positive trade balance, and exemplary regional integration hold great potential for future economic development in Southeast Asia.

In 2023, the Philippines’ inflation rate amounted to 5.98 percent. The Philippines are considered “newly industrialized”, but the economy relies on remittances from nationals overseas, and the services sector generates most of its GDP .

Emerging and soon to develop?

After switching from agriculture to services and manufacturing, the Philippines are now an emerging economy, i.e. the country has some characteristics of a developed nation but is not quite there yet. In order to transition into a developed nation, the Philippines must meet certain requirements, like being able to sustain their economic development, being very open to foreign investors, or maintaining a very high stability of the institutional framework (like law enforcement and the government). Only if these changes are irreversible can they be classified as a developed nation.

The Philippines’ switch to services

Ever since the switch to services and manufacturing, employment in these areas has increased and the country is now among those with the highest employment in the tourism industry worldwide. This transition was not entirely voluntary but also due to decreasing government support, the liberalization of trade, and reform programs. Still, agriculture is important for the country: As of 2017, more than a quarter of Filipinos are still working in the agricultural sector, and urbanization has only increased very slightly over the last decade.

In 2022, the estimated total GDP of all ASEAN states amounted to approximately 3.67 trillion U.S. dollars, a significant increase from the previous years. In fact, the GDP of the ASEAN region has been skyrocketing for a few years now, reflecting the region’s thriving economy. Power in the EastThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It was established in 1967 among five of these countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines) to facilitate trade and economic growth, as well as promote cultural development and social structures in the region. To date, they have been joined by another five nations. The ASEAN marketThe founding of the ASEAN organization provides the collaborating nations with more autonomy and influence on the global economy than they would have had by themselves. Additionally, struggling participating countries, such as Laos, are given an opportunity to grow on an ASEAN single market.

GNI (formerly GNP) is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad. Data are in current U.S. dollars. GNI, calculated in national currency, is usually converted to U.S. dollars at official exchange rates for comparisons across economies, although an alternative rate is used when the official exchange rate is judged to diverge by an exceptionally large margin from the rate actually applied in international transactions. To smooth fluctuations in prices and exchange rates, a special Atlas method of conversion is used by the World Bank. This applies a conversion factor that averages the exchange rate for a given year and the two preceding years, adjusted for differences in rates of inflation between the country, and through 2000, the G-5 countries (France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States). From 2001, these countries include the Euro area, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This dataset provides values for INFLATION RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

In December 2024, the inflation rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila reached 3.1 percent, indicating an increase from the previous month. The region's inflation rate fluctuated that year, with the highest inflation rate recorded in July.

In 2019, the unemployment rate in the Philippines was at approximately 2.24 percent and on a steady downward trend from 3.6 percent in 2014.

Souvenirs from overseas

The Philippines’ economy relies heavily on remittances from overseas, i.e. money sent home by Filipino emigrants and workers in other countries. In 2016 alone, approximately 30 billion U.S. dollars were received as remittances in the Philippines, and the amount seems to increase significantly every year. This makes the Philippines one of the leading countries worldwide when it comes to receiving remittances, only surpassed by India and China.

Visitors from overseas

The Philippines’ economy is stable, not only because of remittances, but also because of a flourishing services sector, which is now the main generator of GDP in the country; tourism and IT in particular contribute to economic growth. More than half of the Philippines workforce is employed in services.