Cebu growth slows sharply

CEBU CITY — Cebu’s economy continued to expand in 2025 but at a slower pace, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority in Central Visayas (PSA-7).

Cebu Province’s economy grew by 2.7 percent in 2025, down sharply from 7.4 percent in 2024. Cebu City likewise posted slower growth at 5.8 percent, compared with 7 percent the previous year.

Despite the slowdown, Cebu Province’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose to P453.76 billion in 2025 from P441.65 billion in 2024. Cebu City’s GDP increased to P353.81 billion from P334.35 billion.

GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in an economy and is used to track its size and performance.

In Cebu Province, human health and social work activities posted the fastest growth among industries at 11.8 percent, followed by public administration and defense, including compulsory social security, at 11.3 percent, and financial and insurance activities at 9.6 percent.

Mining and quarrying recorded a 13.4-percent decline, the largest contraction among the province’s industries.

In Cebu City, human health and social work activities led growth at 13.1 percent, followed by public administration and defense at 9.3 percent and transportation and storage at 7.9 percent.

PSA-7 regional director Wilma Perante said the Provincial Product Accounts provide local governments and sectoral planners with data to guide economic policies and investment decisions.

“The Provincial Product Accounts give our local chief executives and sectoral planners the precision needed to craft better policies, target investments where they matter most, and bridge economic gaps,” Perante said.