DAVAO City remained the only economy in the Visayas and Mindanao to crack the Philippines’ top 10 largest provincial and highly urbanized city economies in 2025, with its gross domestic product reaching ₱601.68 billion, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported in a release on August 28, 2026.
The city accounted for 2.6 percent of the country’s GDP at constant 2018 prices, placing it 10th among 82 provinces and 33 highly urbanized cities nationwide.
The ranking puts Davao City alongside the country’s biggest economic heavyweights, led by Quezon City with ₱1.40 trillion, followed by Makati City at ₱1.27 trillion, Laguna at ₱1.14 trillion, and Manila at ₱1.06 trillion. Only these four local economies surpassed the ₱1 trillion mark.
Cavite (₱ 875.67 billion), Batangas (₱ 713.22 billion), Bulacan (₱ 694.81 billion), Taguig City (₱ 686.68 billion), and Pampanga (P627.89 billion) completed the top 10, with Davao City edging into the last spot at ₱601.68 billion.
Davao City’s economy reached ₱574.72 billion in 2024, growing 7.9 percent from the previous year. Construction led the expansion, growing 19.1 percent, followed by transportation and storage at 12.6 percent and other services at 10.8 percent.
Davao City’s showing is particularly notable because nine of the 10 largest economies were in Luzon, while Davao City was the lone representative from the Visayas-Mindanao group. The PSA also reported the same geographic distinction in its 2024 economic performance.
Davao del Norte among fastest-growing
While Davao City stood out for the size of its economy, Davao del Norte made the national list for the speed of its growth.
The province expanded by 8.3 percent in 2025, making it the fifth-fastest-growing economy among the 82 provinces and 33 highly urbanized cities.
Davao del Norte followed Occidental Mindoro at 11.2 percent, Capiz at 8.7 percent, Maguindanao del Sur at 8.63 percent and Antique at 8.55 percent.
Its 8.3 percent growth also outpaced the 4.4 percent national GDP growth in 2025. Overall, 76 provinces and all 33 highly urbanized cities recorded year-on-year economic growth, while 52 local economies grew faster than the national rate.
The PSA will conduct regional and provincial dissemination forums from Sept. 29 to Oct. 15 to present the detailed 2025 Provincial Product Accounts, including the economic performance of individual provinces and highly urbanized cities. MLSA WITH REPORTS FROM PR