Philippines creative economy hits ₱2.1 trillion in 2025
Published Mar 19, 2026 01:44 pm
The Philippine creative economy expanded to ₱2.12 trillion last year, buoyed by the surge in digital and artistic industries that now account for the significant portion of the nation’s economic output.
According to a pilot study released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday, March 19, the sector grew 6.9 percent year-on-year, contributing 7.6 percent to the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices.
The creative economy increased from ₱1.98 trillion recorded in 2024.
According to the PSE, the expansion was driven by the growing importance of intellectual property and cultural services as the government weighs formalizing the sector's economic tracking.
The symbols and images segment, which includes various visual arts and related activities, emerged as the primary engine of the sector, generating ₱670.15 billion, or roughly 31.6 percent of the total gross value added.
Digital interactive goods and services followed, contributing 19.7 percent of the total, while advertising and research and development activities accounted for 15.9 percent, which underscored the shift toward high-value service exports and digital consumption in the country.
Meanwhile, labor dynamics within the sector remained mixed. Total employment in creative industries reached 8.71 million people in 2025, nearly 18 percent of the country’s entire workforce.
However, the figure reflects a slight 0.4 percent contraction from the 8.74 million workers employed the previous year. Traditional cultural expression activities remained the largest employer, providing 33 percent of the sector's jobs, followed by the symbols and images category at 27.1 percent and advertising at 23.7 percent.
Trade data showed a reliance on foreign creative goods, with imports reaching ₱711.48 billion. In contrast, exports of creative goods and services were valued at ₱320.06 billion and ₱426.99 billion, respectively.
Service imports totaled ₱138 billion. Meanwhile, creative collective consumption saw a modest two percent uptick to 16.49 billion pesos.
The PSA characterized these findings as preliminary, noting they are part of a broader effort to institutionalize the Philippine Creative Economy Satellite Account. Such a move would provide more granular data for policymakers, though it remains subject to approval by the PSA Board and the allocation of national government funding.