Philippines Key Statistics — Time Series Data (PSA OpenSTAT API measurements, with World Bank WDI)

As of 2026-09-08 · Updated 2026-09-08 · Section: Population, Labor & Education · 日本語版

0. Read this first: how this document was compiled, and what could and could not be obtained

This document was built by actually querying the PxWeb API of PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority)'s OpenSTAT statistical database (https://openstat.psa.gov.ph/PXWeb/api/v1/en/DB/). The important technical facts discovered in the process are laid out first.

0-1. Results of actually testing the OpenSTAT PxWeb API

注 A point that trips people up if they don't know it: OpenSTAT is sometimes described as having "an API, so the figures can be pulled automatically without limit," but the structure is asymmetric — metadata via GET, the actual data via POST. A tool that can only do GET (which covers most simple scrapers and many AI fetch functions) cannot retrieve a single value from inside a table. Conversely, an environment that can do POST (Python requests, curl, Excel Power Query, etc.) can retrieve data without this restriction.

0-2. Source labels used for the figures in this document (always check these)

This environment could not reach the original PSA press releases (PDF/HTML), so preliminary monthly/quarterly figures for 2025–2026 are predominantly labeled 【News】. Before using any figure in an external document, either query OpenSTAT directly from an environment that can POST, or open the PSA site by hand and cross-check.

1. Catalog of OpenSTAT series (endpoints and coverage periods confirmed by actually querying the API)

All of the following are real paths retrieved from the API on 2026-08-26. In an environment that can POST, these paths can be used as-is.

"1F/FY" does not yet carry 2025 poverty statistics (as of the 2026-08-03 update, the table titles still read 2018/2021/2023). Meanwhile, PSA announced full-year 2025 poverty statistics on 21 August 2026 【News】. 注 OpenSTAT lags behind press releases.

2. Real GDP growth rate

2-1. Annual (year-on-year, %)

Base year/definition: PSA's national accounts are on a 2018 base (At Constant 2018 Prices) 【OpenSTAT-META】. The previous base was 2000, so absolute figures in older material do not connect to current ones. OpenSTAT holds a separate node for a 1946–2023 long-run GDP series (2B/NA/AN/23ANAP/) 【OpenSTAT-META】, but the underlying data itself is 【Not obtained】.

2-2. Quarterly (year-on-year, %) 2026's sharp slowdown

注What's happening in 2026: multiple outlets have reported that the Iran war/Middle East conflict is the main driver behind the sharp rise in oil prices (Nikkei Asia, 2026-05-07, "Iran war batters economy"; ABC News, 2026-04-03; among others) 【News】. The country is in a stagflation-like phase of surging inflation combined with sharply slowing growth. The "steady 5–6% growth" narrative that held through 2025 no longer applies in 2026.

2-3. Official 2026 outlooks (always note the indicator and the issuer together)

注 There is a wide gap between the government's target (5–6%), international-body forecasts (3.7–4.4%), and first-half actuals (2.8%/2.3%). Be explicit about which figure is being cited.

注(Added in 2026-08-26 verification: a discrepancy between the responsible files) §2-3 of the field article "Relations with ASEAN Countries" attributes the same figures to different issuers and different dates.

Whether the "downgrade from 5.3%" belongs to the ADB or the World Bank is a point on which the two documents disagree. Neither has been cross-checked against a primary source (ADB's Asian Development Outlook / World Bank's Philippines Economic Update) = unconfirmed. 注 Neither version has been deleted. Do not cite either account as settled fact until a source supplying all three of "institution name + announcement date + pre-revision value" is located.

3. Prices and inflation

3-1. Average annual inflation rate (%)

注 The WDI's 1.66% and the news/PSA-announced "1.7%" are essentially the same figure (a rounding difference). But using 2025's "1.7%" to describe 2026 would be a serious error.

3-2. Monthly inflation rate (year-on-year, %) 2025–2026

Source: All figures 【News】 (news reports of PSA-announced figures, confirmed via Google News RSS). The underlying series exists at OpenSTAT 2M/PI/CPI/2018NEW/0012M4ACP23.px (January 2019–July 2026), but the data itself is 【Not obtained】.

3-3. CPI definitions and base year (mandatory notes when citing)

注 Because of the split-off of NIR (Negros Island Region), the definitions underlying the Western Visayas (Region VI) and Central Visayas (Region VII) series change partway through. When building a regional time series, always state clearly whether 2018NEW or 2018 was used.

4. Population

4-1. The mismatch between census (actual count) and estimated figures (the single most important pitfall)

(Corrected and supplemented in 2026-08-26 verification) The earlier "【Not obtained】" entries for 2010/2015/2020 and the earlier figure of "approximately 112,724,000" for 2024 have been replaced with confirmed actual counts. The correct total population from the 2024 census is 112,729,484 (the earlier figure of 112,724,000 was incorrect). The 2020 figure of 109,033,245 was made official by Presidential Proclamation No. 1179. Source: an aggregation citing published PSA figures (the primary source, psa.gov.ph, returned a 403 and could not be checked directly from this environment = 注primary source not reached), accessed 2026-08-26. 注 A figure of 109,035,343 also circulates for 2020 (a difference of 2,098, said to stem from whether overseas-posted residents such as at diplomatic missions are included). Neither figure has been deleted. Re-checking against the original PSA text (psa.gov.ph returns a 403 from this environment) is recommended.

注 Three different figures for the Philippines' population — "116 million," "114.1 million," and "112.73 million" — are circulating simultaneously. (A third series was added in the 2026-08-26 verification.) - 112,729,484 (approx. 112.73 million) = the actual count from the 2024 Population Census (POPCEN 2024, as of 1 July 2024). Made the official population by presidential proclamation. - 115.84–116.79 million = the World Bank/UN estimate (projection), based on an older population projection that does not reflect the census results. - 114,086 thousand (114.09 million, for 2025) = the population series used by the IMF WEO (IMF DataMapper LP, retrieved directly on 2026-08-26). This is about 2.70 million lower than the World Bank/UN estimate and about 1.36 million higher than the census. - The World Bank estimate and the census differ by roughly 3 million (about 2.7%). Indicators computed by "dividing by population," such as per-capita GDP, will vary by several percent depending on which population figure is used. - Japanese-language material widely circulates the "approximately 116 million" UN-style estimate, but the Philippine government's official population is 112.73 million.

4-2. Household statistics from the 2024 census

注 An average household size of 3.8 is a sharp decline from the widely cited older figures of "4.1" or "4.6." Watch out for recycled old numbers.

4-3. Per-capita GDP (nominal, US dollars) 【WDI】

注 The per-capita GDP figures above are computed using the WDI's estimated population (116.79 million). Dividing instead by the 2024 census population (112,729,484) gives roughly US$4,321 for 2025 — about US$150 (3.6%) higher. Always state which population figure was used as the denominator.

注(Added in 2026-08-26 verification) Even nominal GDP itself differs by source. The IMF WEO's nominal GDP for the Philippines (DataMapper API NGDPD, measured directly on 2026-08-26) is US$461.617 billion for 2024 and US$487.161 billion for 2025 — almost identical to the WDI figures (US$461.67bn / US$487.09bn). However, the IMF's population series (LP) puts 2025 population at 114.086 million, and dividing the IMF's GDP by the IMF's population gives roughly US$4,270 for 2025. So "the Philippines' per-capita GDP (2025)" can legitimately be stated as US$4,171 (WDI) / US$4,270 (IMF-based) / US$4,321 (census population) — three different figures. 注 None has been deleted. Always state clearly which GDP series was paired with which population series.

5. Labor (unemployment rate and labor force participation rate)

5-1. Do not use the World Bank WDI's unemployment rate

注 This unemployment-rate series (in the 2–3% range) does not match the order of magnitude of the unemployment rate PSA publishes monthly (in the 4–5% range). This becomes obvious once compared against the PSA figures in §5-2 below (5.0% in October 2025, 4.9% in June 2026). When discussing the Philippines' unemployment rate, always use the PSA Labor Force Survey (LFS) figure. The WDI's "national estimate" series uses a different definition (possibly a different source or age threshold); the cause is 【unconfirmed】. The labor force participation rate (in the 55–60% range) broadly matches the level PSA publishes, but should likewise be treated as a reference value only.

5-2. PSA Labor Force Survey (LFS), monthly

Underlying series: OpenSTAT 1B/LFS/0021B3FKEI2.px (April 2005–June 2026, monthly plus annual averages, unemployment rate/employment rate/labor force participation rate/underemployment rate by sex) 【OpenSTAT-META, updated 2026-08-05】. The data itself is 【Not obtained】. 注 Outlook: reporting on 2026-08-11 suggested "the unemployment rate is expected to rise above 5% amid economic headwinds" 【News】.

5-3. Definitional cautions for labor statistics

6. Poverty rate

6-1. National standard (official PSA figures, population-based, %)

注 2021 was worse than 2018 (16.7%→18.1%). The claim that "the Philippines' poverty rate has fallen consistently" is incorrect. 注 The 2025 figures (9.7%/6.4%) come from a preliminary announcement on 21 August 2026 and, as of this document, are not yet reflected in OpenSTAT 【confirmed via OpenSTAT-META】. Strongly recommend cross-checking against the primary source (the PSA press release). 注 Reports state that "6.5 million people rose out of poverty between 2023 and 2025" and that "8.8 million remain poor," but this does not reconcile with 9.7% × 113 million ≈ 11.0 million. The number of poor persons should be treated as 【unconfirmed】.

6-2. Poverty threshold

Definition: PSA's poverty threshold is "the minimum income needed to meet basic food and non-food needs." It is customarily published as a monthly amount for a family-of-5 equivalent. The annual per-capita poverty threshold is the underlying published unit 【OpenSTAT-META: 1F/FY/0011F3DF010.px】.

6-3. International standard (World Bank, 2021 PPP) 【WDI】

注(Corrected in 2026-08-26 verification) The earlier note that "$1.90/$2.15 under the 2017 PPP" was wrong. $1.90 is the line under the 2011 PPP, and $2.15 is the line under the 2017 PPP — they are not from the same PPP base year. The correct correspondence is shown below.

(Source: the sourceNote metadata of the World Bank WDI API's indicators, measured directly on 2026-08-26, confirming that the current three lines are "$3.00 / $4.20 / $8.30 a day (2021 PPP)." The three lines under the 2011 PPP and 2017 PPP were each confirmed against Our World in Data's "From $1.90 to $2.15 a day: the updated international poverty line.") Figures based on the older "$1.90/day" or "$2.15/day" standards must not be directly compared with these. For the same reason, any source that labels "1.90/3.20/5.50" as the "2017 PPP" is incorrect.

7. Trade (goods)

7-1. Annual (nominal, US$ hundred-millions)

What this series actually is (added in 2026-08-26 verification): the table below reflects the World Bank WDI's TX.VAL.MRCH.CD.WT (merchandise exports, original WTO statistics) and TM.VAL.MRCH.CD.WT (merchandise imports, original WTO statistics), measured directly via the API. This is a separate series from the BoP-based BX.GSR.MRCH.CD/BM.GSR.MRCH.CD, and the values differ substantially (for example, 2024 exports are US$72.98 billion under the WTO series versus US$55.06 billion under the BoP series). Do not cite this simply as "World Bank trade statistics" without stating the specific indicator code.

7-2. Discrepancy between PSA's published figures and the WDI/WTO figures (2025)

注 The import figures diverge by roughly US$8 billion (about 6%) between PSA and the WTO series. The cause is 【unconfirmed】 (possible factors include FOB/CIF valuation differences, treatment of re-exports/free ports, or differences in the compilation date). When writing "the Philippines' trade deficit is US$X billion," always state whether it is on a PSA basis or a WTO/World Bank basis.

(Added in 2026-08-26 verification) There is a third series. The ASEAN Secretariat's ASEAN Statistical Highlights 2025 (the original PDF was fully extracted with a PDF text extractor; the trade data is as of July 2025) states, for the Philippines in 2024: exports US$842.07 hundred-million / imports US$1,557.99 hundred-million / balance ▲US$715.92 hundred-million — matching neither the WTO series for the same year (729.8/1,348.8/▲619.0) nor the PSA-published figures. 注 The PSA / WTO-World Bank / ASEANstats figures are three genuinely different sets of numbers. Keep all three and cite whichever series is being used explicitly. (Source: https://www.aseanstats.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ASH2025v251112.pdf, p.4, "TRADE IN GOODS" table)

Underlying series: OpenSTAT 2L/IMT/SUM/0012L4DFTS0.px (1991–2026P, monthly and annual totals, exports/imports/trade balance/total) 【OpenSTAT-META, updated 2026-07-30】. The data itself is 【Not obtained】. 2026 monthly trade values are 【Not obtained】. However, a report on 25 August 2026 noted that "second-quarter domestic trade fell 22%" 【News】.

8. Overseas remittances

8-1. Three different "remittance amounts" — do not conflate them

注 A statement like "the Philippines' remittances are US$X billion" could mean any of US$35.6 billion / roughly US$39 billion / US$41.6 billion. Always state the concept and the issuing body.

8-2. Annual trend (WDI: Personal remittances received, US$ hundred-millions)

Even in 2020 (the COVID year), the year-on-year decline was only about ▲0.8%, showing that remittances are extremely resilient to economic downturns. However, 2026 looks different (see below).

8-3. The 2026 shift

注 The stock explanation that "remittances grow steadily at around 5% a year" no longer holds in 2026. BusinessMirror has reported that remittances may be "plateauing" 【News】.

BSP's official monthly series is provided in HTML/PDF/Excel (Historical) form at https://www.bsp.gov.ph/SitePages/Statistics/External.aspx?TabId=8, but the direct file URLs do not appear in the page HTML, so this is 【Not obtained】 in this environment. Manual download is required.

9. Exchange rate (PHP/USD)

9-1. Annual average rate 【WDI: PA.NUS.FCRF, period average】

2012 (42.23) was the strongest level in recent years. From there to 2025 (57.51), the peso has depreciated by roughly 36%.

9-2. 2026 movements (record peso weakness) 【News】

注 The 2024–2025 intuitions of "1 peso ≈ ¥2.6" or "US$1 ≈ ₱57" no longer apply in 2026. 2026 is trading in the ₱60–62/US$ range. Outlook: BusinessWorld (2026-08-04) reported that "a strong dollar and slowing growth mean rates above ₱60 will likely persist through 2027" 【News】. The 2026 annual average rate will not be finalized until year-end, so it is 【Not obtained】.

10. Quick-reference table by series: base year, definition, revisions

11. List of 【Not obtained】 items (what to fetch next)

12. Three golden rules for using this document

1. There are three population figures: "112,729,484 (2024 census, official)," "116.79 million (World Bank/UN estimate)," and "114.09 million (the IMF WEO's population series)." They differ by as much as roughly 3 million. Always state the denominator used for per-capita indicators. (Made exact, and the IMF series added, in the 2026-08-26 verification.)
2. The 2025 figures and the 2026 figures belong to different worlds. Inflation went from 1.7% (2025 average) to 6.2% (July 2026); growth went from 4.4% (2025) to 2.3% (2026 Q2); the exchange rate went from 57.5 (2025 average) to 61.8 (July 2026). This is reported to be driven mainly by an oil-price spike tied to the Middle East conflict. Do not use pre-2026 data to describe 2026.
3. Do not use the World Bank WDI's "national estimate" unemployment rate (in the 2–3% range). The PSA Labor Force Survey figure (in the 4–5% range) is the correct one.

Detailed Japanese-language version: field "Population, Labor & Education," article "統計時系列" (Japanese-language version of this site).