Philippine merchandise exports rose to a record USD 9.11 billion (about PHP 572 billion) in August 2026, up 27.8% from the same month a year earlier, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show.
It was the highest monthly export value since the PSA’s trade series began in 1991.
Electronic products were the main driver. Exports in the category reached USD 6.20 billion (about PHP 389 billion), accounting for 68.1% of the country’s total export sales.
Based on the PSA figures, electronic-product exports grew by nearly 60% from August 2025. Their increase was larger than the country’s overall gain in exports, meaning weaker performance in some other commodity groups offset part of the growth from electronics.
Other mineral products were a distant second with a 4.3% share of exports, followed by gold at 3.5%. Manufactured goods as a whole accounted for 84.4% of Philippine exports during the month.
The United States remained the country’s largest export market with a 23.8% share. Hong Kong followed at 17.3%, China at 11.5%, Japan at 7.7%, and Taiwan at 5.7%.
Exports from January through August were up 14.8% from the same period in 2025 and were also the highest recorded for the period since the series began in 1991.
Imports increased 16.6% year on year in August, with electronic products likewise the largest commodity group at 34.8% of the total. Despite the increase in imports, the country’s trade deficit narrowed by 3.5% from a year earlier and was its smallest since May 2025.