A Number That Puts GenSan on the National Map
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - The 8.04% growth recorded by General Santos City in 2025 is more than a single percentage point in a national economic table. It places the city among the country’s fastest-growing provincial and city economies for the year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority data reported by Philstar. General Santos ranked behind Occidental Mindoro, Capiz, Maguindanao del Sur, Antique, and Davao del Norte among the economies listed for growth performance. Its 8.04% expansion also stood above the 4.4% national economic growth rate recorded in 2025. That difference gives the GenSan figure added weight when viewed against the broader Philippine economic landscape.
Growth Built on More Than One Part of the Economy
The latest 8.04% figure becomes more interesting when viewed alongside the city’s earlier economic profile. PSA data released in 2026 showed that General Santos’ economy grew 6.8% in 2024, with services contributing 5.1 percentage points to that expansion, followed by industry at 1.2 points and agriculture, forestry, and fishing at 0.5 point. The 2024 figures also showed that services accounted for 66.5% of the city’s GDP, while wholesale and retail trade, financial and insurance activities, and manufacturing represented major portions of the economy. These figures provide useful background for understanding the economic base preceding the stronger 2025 performance.
A Stronger Year for a City With a Wide Economic Base
General Santos’ 2025 performance also comes as SOCCSKSARGEN recorded 4.8% economic growth, exceeding the Philippines’ 4.4% national rate, according to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development XII. The regional result placed SOCCSKSARGEN eighth among the country’s 18 regions. Meanwhile, PSA’s 2026 labor statistics estimated General Santos’ labor force at about 292,000 people, representing a 64.2% labor force participation rate among residents aged 15 and above. Together, these figures offer a broader backdrop to the city’s 8.04% result: General Santos is part of a region that continued expanding while maintaining a substantial pool of workers supporting its economic activity.
