Philippines lags in Trade Barrier Index
The Philippines tumbled 35 places to 116th out of 122 countries in the 2025 edition of the International Trade Barrier Index (TBI), published biennially by nonprofit Tholos Foundation. The country’s TBI score worsened to 5.25 in 2025 from 5.15 in 2023 on a 10-point scale where lower is better, lagging behind the global average of 4.22 and the East Asia & Pacific average of 4.20. The index evaluates trade openness based on tariffs, nontariff barriers, services restrictions, and facilitation.
