As we enter the Year of the Wood Snake, the Philippines presents a compelling case study in emerging market resilience and growth dynamics. Current forecasts from major financial institutions, including HSBC and Bank of America, position the Philippines as a leading growth performer within ASEAN-6, with projected GDP expansion of 5.9 percent (revised upward from 5.5 percent), second only to Vietnam’s 6.8 percent.

The growth trajectory is underpinned by several key macroeconomic factors. The economy is experiencing a robust recovery in household consumption, approaching pre-pandemic levels. This is supported by disinflationary trends and strong labor market fundamentals, creating positive feedback loops in consumer-facing sectors.

A critical structural advantage lies in the country’s demographic profile, with 50 percent of the population under 25 and a 1.6 percent annual population growth rate. This demographic sweet spot maximizes the working-age population, potentially driving both aggregate supply and demand-side growth.

The business process outsourcing (BPO) sector continues to demonstrate strong performance, with increasing diversification into digital services, suggesting positive spillover effects for productivity and human capital development. However, the economy faces several exogenous variables requiring careful monitoring, including FX volatility impacts on import costs and inflation pass-through, Federal Reserve policy transmission effects on domestic monetary conditions, and potential trade policy shifts under the new U.S. administration.

At the SM group, we recognize that uncertainties remain in the global economic landscape and so the approach has always been one of guarded optimism. We build our resilience by focusing on adaptability, operational efficiency and financial stability.

The Philippines presents attractive investment opportunities, particularly in renewable energy infrastructure aligning with global ESG trends, physical infrastructure development potentially reducing logistics costs and improving total factor productivity, and digital transformation initiatives supporting service sector evolution.

The convergence of favorable demographics, steady consumption growth, and service sector dynamism positions the Philippines well within the ASEAN growth narrative. However, success will depend on effective management of both domestic political transitions and external economic shocks. The key will be maintaining policy flexibility while pursuing structural reforms to enhance competitiveness and resilience.

This analysis accounts for both cyclical factors and structural elements that will shape the Philippine economy’s performance in 2025 while acknowledging the need for continued institutional strengthening and policy coordination to fully capitalize on the country’s growth potential.

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Robert Dan J. Roces is the economist at SM Investments, reporting to the Board Chairman. He has extensive experience in research economics and data analytics across government, academia, consulting, banking, and private sectors.

Previously chief economist at a major universal bank, he consistently ranked among Bloomberg’s top three analysts for Philippine inflation and BSP rate forecasts. The Asset Benchmark Magazine named him the Philippines’ #1 economic researcher in 2024.

Dan holds an M.S. in Economics from De La Salle University-Manila, where he taught financial economics and econometrics.