The Philippines’ trade deficit widened to USD 5.5 billion in May 2026 from USD 3.6 billion in the same month a year earlier. This marked the second-largest trade gap in over a year, behind only April’s reading, as imports jumped 21.9% year-on-year to USD 13.4 billion, driven by a sharp increase in purchases of electronic products (+93.3%), particularly semiconductors (+125.8%), amid the ongoing global boom in AI demand. Imports also increased for mineral fuels (+35.6%) and cereal and cereal preparations (+2.5%). China accounted for the largest share of imports (31.7%), followed by South Korea (13.2%) and Indonesia (6.4%). Meanwhile, exports rose 7.6% to USD 7.9 billion, driven by higher sales of electronic products (+11.9%), machinery and transport equipment (+51.2%), other mineral products (+30.2%), and gold (+19.4%). The US remained the top export market, accounting for 17.2%, followed by Hong Kong (15.2%), Japan (13.1%), and China (11.5%). source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Philippines recorded a trade deficit of 5481355.09 USD Thousand in May of 2026. Balance of Trade in Philippines averaged -745190.27 USD Thousand from 1957 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 1144700 USD Thousand in September of 1999 and a record low of -6429491.75 USD Thousand in April of 2026. This page provides the latest reported value for - Philippines Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Philippines Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.

Philippines recorded a trade deficit of 5481355.09 USD Thousand in May of 2026. Balance of Trade in Philippines is expected to be -4400000.00 USD Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Philippines Balance of Trade is projected to trend around -3200000.00 USD Thousand in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-29 01:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Apr $-5.965B $-5.025B $-3.0B
2026-06-30 01:00 AM
Balance of Trade
May $-5.481B $-6.429B $-5.75B
2026-07-30 01:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Jun $-5.481B $ -4.4B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -5481355.09 -6429491.75 USD Thousand May 2026
Exports 7873910.62 7274391.98 USD Thousand May 2026
Exports YoY 7.60 7.20 percent May 2026
Imports 13355265.71 13703883.72 USD Thousand May 2026
Imports YoY 21.90 27.30 percent May 2026


Philippines Balance of Trade
Philippines has been running annual trade deficits due to high imports of raw materials and intermediate goods. In 2013, the biggest trade deficits were recorded with: Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and South Korea while the biggest trade surpluses with: Japan, Hong Kong and the United States.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-5481355.09 -6429491.75 1144700.00 -6429491.75 1957 - 2026 USD Thousand Monthly

News Stream
Philippines Trade Gap Widens Sharply in May
The Philippines’ trade deficit widened to USD 5.5 billion in May 2026 from USD 3.6 billion in the same month a year earlier. This marked the second-largest trade gap in over a year, behind only April’s reading, as imports jumped 21.9% year-on-year to USD 13.4 billion, driven by a sharp increase in purchases of electronic products (+93.3%), particularly semiconductors (+125.8%), amid the ongoing global boom in AI demand. Imports also increased for mineral fuels (+35.6%) and cereal and cereal preparations (+2.5%). China accounted for the largest share of imports (31.7%), followed by South Korea (13.2%) and Indonesia (6.4%). Meanwhile, exports rose 7.6% to USD 7.9 billion, driven by higher sales of electronic products (+11.9%), machinery and transport equipment (+51.2%), other mineral products (+30.2%), and gold (+19.4%). The US remained the top export market, accounting for 17.2%, followed by Hong Kong (15.2%), Japan (13.1%), and China (11.5%).
2026-06-30
Philippines Trade Gap Widens to 3½-Year High
The Philippines’ trade deficit widened to USD 6.0 billion in April 2026 from USD 4.0 billion a year earlier. This marks the largest trade gap since August 2022, as imports jumped 22.4%, the steepest pace in more than three and a half years, to USD 13.2 billion, driven by a surge in purchases of electronic products (+78.2%), mainly semiconductors (+104.6%). Imports of mineral fuels also rose sharply (+105.6%). China accounted for the largest share of imports (29.7%), followed by South Korea (11.8%) and Japan (7.3%). Meanwhile, exports grew at a softer pace of 6.3%, the slowest in eight months, reaching USD 7.2 billion. Shipments of electronic products increased modestly (+1.2%), as a surge in consumer electronics exports (+206.3%) was partially offset by a decline in semiconductors (-4.7%). Exports also rose for coconut oil (+69.3%), other mineral products (+55.4%), and gold (+73.7%). The US remained the top export market, accounting for 18%, followed by China (12.9%) and Japan (12.7%).
2026-05-29
Philippines Trade Deficit Unchanged in March
The Philippines’ trade deficit was unchanged at USD 4.5 billion in March 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Exports climbed 20.4% year-on-year to a record USD 8.2 billion, driven by a surge in sales of electronic products (+33%), mainly attributed to increased exports of semiconductors (+38.2%). Exports also surged in machinery and transport equipment (+70.6%) and gold (+84%). The US remained the top export destination (17.1%), followed by Hong Kong (15.9%), Japan (11.8%), and China (11.7%). Meanwhile, imports rose by 12.3% to also a historic high of USD 12.7 billion, pushed by increased purchases of electronic products (+44.2%), mineral fuels (+35.1%), and cereals and cereal preparations (+33.6%). China accounted for the largest share of imports (27.6%), alongside South Korea (11.3%) and Japan (8.4%). For the first quarter, the trade deficit widened to USD 12.8 billion from USD 12.5 billion in the corresponding period last year.
2026-04-30