What are the top 11 Philippine exports and imports? The Philippines may be a small country but because of its potent natural resources, an abundance of human resource, and favorable position in the Pacific, it is one of Southeast Asia’s most active foreign traders. In fact, the Philippines has a long history of importing and exporting, generations before the first colonizers set foot in the archipelago in the 1500s.
This developing country sits between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, a major route for trading for as long as foreign trading has been invented. This developing nation’s exports are dominated by products from natural resources and raw materials while most of its imports are electronics and transportation equipment.
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The top 11 Philippine exports and imports presented here are based on the November 2015 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. We have divided this article into two, the first half of which shows the top 11 Philippine exports, and the other half shows the top 11 Philippine imports.
Don’t forget to check out our other article on the Top 11 Philippine Universities in the World!
Top 11 Philippine Exports
11. Processed Food and Beverages
1.4%
Processed food and beverages account for 1.4% of the country’s total exports for November 2015. Some of the top products in this category are natural fruit juices, canned seafood, and sugar products.
10. Electronic Equipment and Parts
1.5%
The Philippines’ electronic parts and equipment exports grew from 1.2% in November 2014 to 1.5% in November 2015. These products are manufactured in the country by brands like Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Intel.
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9. Clothing and Apparel
1.5%
Clothing and apparel exports experienced a staggering decrease from 2.6% to only 1.5% of the country’s total exports. These items include finished products (i.e. knitted gloves, infant clothes, underclothes, finished products) and textiles.
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8. Coconut oil
1.8%
Coconut cultivation accounts for 25% of all the farm lands in the Philippines, so it’s no surprise that coconut oil will be one of their top exports.
7. Metal Components
2.1%
Although raw metal is one of the largest imports of the Philippines, these raw materials are turned into export-quality metal components.
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6. Chemicals
2.8%
The Philippine chemical exports had one of the largest losses of the top 11 Philippine exports and imports, jumping from 4.6% of the total imports in November 2014 down to 2.8% for November 2015.
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5. Wirings
4.3%
This export product increased by an impressive 13.3% this year. These wirings include the ones used in the ignition as well as those used in automobiles, air crafts, as well as ships.
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4. Other Manufactures
6.2%
Projected exports of miscellaneous manufactures have not reached its expected growth and has unfortunately decreased from November 2014’s 6.5% of the total exports down to 6.2% by November 2015. Japan remains to be one of the biggest recipients of miscellaneous manufactures from the Philippines.
3. Machinery and Transport Equipment
6.3%
China and Japan account for the largest individual country partners for machinery and transport equipment exports of the Philippines. The Philippines has earned over US$300 million for 2015 exports in this industry.
2. Woodcrafts and Furniture
6.4%
Woodcrafting and handmade furniture-making has always been one of the foremost and oldest industries in the Philippines. While it remains to be one of the most important export products of the Philippines, the industry posed a decrease from November 2014’s over 7% export contribution to just 6.4% in November 2015.
1. Electronic Products
54.2%
Capping the exports list on the top 11 Philippine exports and imports are various electronic products, making up 54.2% of all exports. The electronic product exports of the Philippines has been showing significant growth over the last few years, jumping several notches from 49.1% in 2014 to over half of all exports in 2015.
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Top 11 Imports
11. Metal Products
2.1%
The Philippines imported more than $120 million worth of metal products in 2015, a stark growth from 2014’s $83 million.
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10. Plastics
2.4%
Imported plastics, in primary and non-primary forms, are imported to the Philippines mostly for use in the manufacture of local plastic products. Imports for 2015 have jumped from 4.2% of the total imports in 2014 down to just 2.4%.
9. Telecommunication Equipment and Electrical Machinery
2.5%
In November 2015, the Philippines imported telecommunication devices and electrical machinery amounting to over $147 million.
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8. Iron and Steel
2.5%
Iron and steel imports are used by Philippine factories for many of the industrial products manufactured in the country. By November 2015, the Philippines imported over $149 million worth of iron and steel mostly semi-finished products of iron and non-alloy steel.
7. Miscellaneous Manufactured Products
2.8%
The Philippines imported more than $171 million worth of miscellaneous manufactured products, accounting for 2.8 of all of the imported goods in the country for November 2015.
6. Other Food and Live Animals
3.3%
The Philippines’ importing of other food and live animals significantly decreased from $250.17 million (4.5%) in November 2014 to only $201.24 million (3.3%) in November 2015.
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5. Cereals and Cereal Preparations
3.4%
While rice remains the primary grain in the Philippines, pre-processed cereals and cereal products are still a big market in the Philippines, with imports of cereals amounting to 3.4% of the total imports of the country and landing it 5th spot in the top 11 Philippine exports and imports list.
4. Industrial Machinery
6.1%
Due to the country’s increasing industrial sector, there was an increase in demand for industrial machinery. In 2015, the Philippines imported over $369 million in industrial equipment.
3. Transport Equipment
7.9%
Without a local automobile manufacturing industry save for its assembly plants of foreign brands, transportation equipment is imported in the Philippines.
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2. Mineral Fuels, Lubricants, and Related Materials
9.6%
With its limited natural gas deposits, the Philippines imports almost all of its fuels. The country spent over $582 million on mineral fuels and other related materials in November 2015.
1. Electronic Products
35%
Incidentally, the top export of the Philippines is also its top import item: electronics. In 2015, 35% of all its imports are electronic products composed of consumer electronics, telecommunications devices, radar, semiconductors, and office equipment. Hope you’ve learned something new from this list of top Philippine exports and imports.
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