ASEAN 6 GDP: Vietnam And Singapore Lead ASEAN Growth As Regional Dynamics Shift

26 February 2026 — Economic growth across the ASEAN-6 varied significantly during the final quarter of 2025. Vietnam posted a remarkable 8.46% GDP growth, its strongest fourth-quarter performance since 2011. Singapore followed with 5.7%. Malaysia maintained strong momentum at 5.7% and Indonesia stayed the course with 5.39% growth. In sharp contrast, the Philippines experienced a dramatic deceleration to just 3.0% growth—its slowest in over a decade excluding the pandemic. Meanwhile, Thailand’s economy has grown by 2.5% in Q4 2025, recovering from a weaker-than-expected 1.2% in the third quarter.

The growth gap is attributed to how differently each nation is navigating global shifts and domestic headwinds. For Vietnam and Singapore, the global boom in AI has helped their manufacturing sectors soar with Vietnam becoming a primary destination for international trade and investment as businesses look for new places to grow. Conversely, the Philippines is currently grappling with a “confidence crisis” rather than just a slow quarter. The suspension of major infrastructure projects due to corruption investigations has triggered an investment spiral that is now in its fourth consecutive month of decline. Thailand faced its own industrial hurdles with temporary factory maintenances earlier in the year, but expects a tourism-led recovery in 2026. While Indonesia leans on heavy government to keep it’s growth above 5%, ASEAN’s overall outlook for 2026 now hinges on whether those falling behind can restore investor trust while the frontrunners manage the heat of their high-tech booms.

Read the latest report on PH GDP Q4 2025: https://mbc.com.ph/2026/01/29/economy-insights-gdp-report-q4-2025-yoy/

For a wider range of updated economic data, please see here the MBC economic dashboard: https://mbc.com.ph/economy-dashboard/

This economic update is led by MBC’s Economy Program and is also in charge of economic briefings, economic dashboard, monthly inflation and labor releases, and quarterly GDP and ASEAN 6 reports.