Philippine exports jumped 21.3 percent in November 2025 from a year ago on the back of strong electronics shipments, narrowing the country’s trade deficit as imports continued to decline, government data showed Friday.
Export sales in November reached $6.91 billion, up from $5.70 billion a year earlier, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The growth followed a 20.3-percent increase in October and reversed the 8.6-percent contraction recorded in November 2024.
The balance of trade in goods resulted in a deficit of $3.51 billion for the month, which was 28.8 percent lower than the $4.9 billion gap posted in the same period last year.
Imports dropped 2.0 percent in November to $10.42 billion from $10.63 billion a year ago. The PSA said that of the total external trade during the month, 60.1 percent consisted of imported goods, while 39.9 percent were exported goods.
Electronic products remained the country’s top export, contributing $4.19 billion or 60.7 percent of total earnings. The sector also saw the highest annual increment at $1.41 billion, followed by machinery and transport equipment which rose $72.07 million, and gold which increased $61.16 million.
Other major export earners included manufactured goods at $348.14 million and machinery and transport equipment at $317.02 million.
Data from the PSA showed that from January to November 2025, total export value reached $77.39 billion, representing a 14.5-percent increase from $67.60 billion recorded in the same 11-month period in 2024.
The 2-percent import decline followed annual decreases of 3.0 percent in October 2025 and 3.3 percent in November 2024.
The largest drop in imports was seen in metalliferous ores and metal scrap, which fell by $475.85 million. Mineral fuels and lubricants decreased by $247.32 million, while cereals and cereal preparations declined by $192.38 million.
Electronic products also led imports at $2.87 billion, accounting for 27.6 percent of the total. Mineral fuels and lubricants followed at $1.06 billion and transport equipment at $996.31 million.
China remained the largest supplier of imported goods for the Philippines, valued at $2.90 billion or 27.8 percent of total imports in November.
Imports in the first 11 months of 2025 amounted to $122.59 billion, an increase of 4.1 percent from $117.78 billion recorded in the previous year.
