Negros Occidental, Bacolod growth slows in 2025

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental’s economy grew by 4.2% in 2025, while Bacolod expanded by 6.8%, with both posting slower growth than in 2024, Philippine Statistics Authority data showed.

The figures show continued expansion in production, but weaker momentum in the industries that support local jobs and businesses. They do not establish whether families earned more or whether employment improved, which require separate income and labor data.

The PSA’s Oct. 15, 2026, releases put Negros Occidental’s gross domestic product at PHP 288.27 billion and Bacolod’s at PHP 167.92 billion, measured at constant 2018 prices.

Using a fixed price base removes the effect of price changes, allowing comparisons of real output. Bacolod, a highly urbanized city, is reported separately from the province.

Negros Occidental’s growth eased from 4.9% in 2024, while Bacolod slowed from 7.6%. Both economies nevertheless produced more goods and services than in the preceding year.

Human health and social work activities led growth among Negros Occidental’s industries at 10.4%, followed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing at 7.5% and public administration, defense, and compulsory social security at 7.0%.

Electricity, steam, water, and waste management contracted by 2.4%, the province’s only declining industry among the 16 reported.

Agriculture recovered from a 10.5% contraction in 2024, but industry growth slowed to 1.9% from 11.9%. Services growth also eased to 4.3% from 7.4%.

Services contributed 2.2 percentage points to Negros Occidental’s 4.2% growth, followed by agriculture at 1.4 points and industry at 0.6 point.

In Bacolod, construction was the fastest-growing industry at 15.7%, followed by human health and social work at 14.4% and public administration, defense, and compulsory social security at 12.4%.

The city’s electricity, steam, water, and waste management industry contracted by 0.3%.

Bacolod’s broad industry sector grew by 8.5%, up from 5.0% in 2024, while agriculture expanded by 8.0% after a 2.7% decline. Services growth slowed to 6.3% from 8.9%.

Services remained the main contributor to Bacolod’s expansion, adding 4.8 percentage points, compared with 1.6 points from industry and 0.33 point from agriculture.

The economic structures also differed. Agriculture accounted for 18.6% of Negros Occidental’s output, its largest individual industry share, while wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair led Bacolod at 21.6%.

Within the Negros Island Region, Negros Oriental grew fastest at 7.0%, followed by Bacolod at 6.8%, Siquijor at 5.0%, and Negros Occidental at 4.2%. Only Negros Oriental and Bacolod exceeded regional growth of 5.7%.

Despite ranking fourth in growth, Negros Occidental contributed 1.8 percentage points to regional expansion, ahead of Bacolod’s 1.7 points. Negros Oriental contributed 2.1 points and Siquijor 0.1 point.

Bacolod’s per capita GDP reached PHP 265,502 in 2025, up 5.7% from PHP 251,233 in 2024. It was the highest among the region’s provinces and highly urbanized city.

Negros Occidental’s per capita GDP rose by 3.8% to PHP 108,218 from PHP 104,244, remaining below the regional figure of PHP 138,726.

Negros Oriental posted per capita GDP of PHP 139,575, also above the regional level, while Siquijor recorded PHP 137,383.

The PSA calculated per capita GDP using preliminary population projections based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing. The measure divides economic output by population and does not represent wages or household take-home income.