Metro Manila fell below the national growth rate in 2025, posting a gross regional domestic product expansion of 4.35 percent against the country’s 4.4 percent, even as the region continued to lead the Philippine services sector with the largest share at 40.9 percent, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed Thursday, April 23.
The PSA released its 2025 Regional Accounts of the Philippines on April 23, showing that while the National Capital Region (NCR) remained the dominant economic hub in the services sector, its overall growth rate placed it 12th among all 18 regional economies for the year.
The national GDP grew by 4.4 percent in 2025, a slowdown from the 5.7 percent recorded in 2024. Ten regions outpaced the national average, led by Western Visayas at 6.4 percent, Caraga at 5.704 percent, and Negros Island Region at 5.699 percent.
Outside Metro Manila, two other Luzon-based regions anchored the national economy in their respective sectors. CALABARZON led all regions in industry share at 25.4 percent, followed by NCR at 18.0 percent and Central Luzon at 16.3 percent. Central Luzon, meanwhile, topped the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector with a 14.1-percent share, ahead of Northern Mindanao at 10.3 percent and Davao Region at 8.2 percent.
CALABARZON and Central Luzon also outpaced Metro Manila in overall growth, with CALABARZON posting 5.10 percent and Central Luzon recording 4.46 percent — both above the national average, and both ahead of NCR’s 4.35 percent.
At the expenditure side, government final consumption expenditure posted the fastest growth nationally at 8.4 percent, followed by exports of goods and services at 8.2 percent. Gross capital formation, however, declined by 1.7 percent nationally, with NCR registering a 4.5-percent contraction in investments.
Household spending in NCR grew at 4.21 percent in 2025, below the national figure of 4.5 percent and well behind the fastest-growing region for household expenditure, Caraga, which posted 6.7 percent.
The 2025 regional accounts are consistent with revised annual estimates released by the PSA on April 8, 2026, according to National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis S. Mapa. Complete data on the Regional Accounts of the Philippines is available at the PSA website.
