By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Manila retained its place among the Philippines’ biggest city economies in 2025, generating an estimated ₱1.06 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP) and accounting for about 14.6 percent of the entire National Capital Region economy, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The capital ranked third nationwide, behind Quezon City and Makati City, in economic output based on the PSA’s latest city-level figures released October 6.
The numbers underscore the continuing weight of Manila’s predominantly service-driven economy, with services producing 77.4 percent of the city’s total output and industry contributing 22.6 percent.
Trade remained Manila’s largest economic activity. Wholesale and retail trade, together with the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, accounted for 22 percent of the city’s GDP.
Manufacturing followed with an 18.5-percent share, while public administration and defense, including compulsory social security, represented 15.4 percent.
But the sectors posting the strongest expansion were not necessarily those with the biggest overall shares.
Transportation and storage registered 10-percent growth, the highest among Manila’s industries in 2025. It was followed by human health and social work activities at 9.4 percent and education at 6.4 percent.
These sectors also made measurable contributions to the city’s economic performance. Public administration and defense added 0.5 percentage point, transportation and storage contributed 0.4 percentage point, while human health and social work activities added 0.24 percentage point.
Manila’s GDP per capita reached ₱565,047 in 2025, placing the capital among the highly urbanized cities in the NCR with per-capita output above the region’s estimated level.
The figures were presented during the 2025 Provincial Product Accounts Data Dissemination and Opening Ceremony of National Statistics Month for the National Capital Region, providing a statistical snapshot of the capital’s economic structure and its principal growth areas.
The latest economic profile also comes against the backdrop of Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso’s administration, which returned to City Hall in July 2025 and placed healthcare, education, housing and jobs at the center of its Minimum Basic Needs platform.
For Manila, the PSA figures point to an economy whose enormous service base continues to be supported by trade and manufacturing, while transportation, healthcare and education emerged as among the sectors gaining the strongest momentum in 2025.
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