THE Philippines’ total external trade in goods increased by 16.1 percent in April this year, according to preliminary data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday.
PSA data showed the country’s total external trade in goods rose to $20.38 billion from $17.55 billion in April last year.
Imports accounted for 64.6 percent of total trade, while exports comprised the remaining 35.4 percent.
The balance of trade in goods, or the difference between the value of exports and imports, posted a deficit of $5.97 billion, up 49.8 percent from the same period last year.
Exports continued to grow, increasing by 6.3 percent to $7.21 billion from $6.78 billion in April 2025.
The largest increases were recorded in machinery and transport equipment, which rose by $187.63 million, followed by coconut oil at $173.03 million and other mineral products at $163.57 million.
In terms of commodity group, electronic products remained the country’s top export in April with total earnings of $3.44 billion, followed by other mineral products at $458.95 million, and machinery and transport equipment at $423.36 million.
The country’s top export trading partners during the month were the United States, China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Meanwhile, total imports increased by 22.4 percent to $13.17 billion from $10.77 billion in April last year.
Electronic products accounted for the highest import value at $4.22 billion, or 32 percent of the country’s total imports.
This was followed by mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials at $2.55 billion, and transport equipment at $714.26 million.
China remained the country’s largest source of imported goods, followed by Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
