PH slips 2 notches in global innovation index ranking
The Philippines fell two notches to 52nd place in this year’s edition of a United Nations agency report measuring countries’ innovation capabilities, missing a government target even as it continued to punch above its weight relative to its level of development.
In the 19th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Philippines slipped from 50th place in 2025, its highest ranking thus far.
By placing 52nd out of 139 countries, the Philippines missed the target set under the Philippine Development Plan, which had projected the country to rank 49th this year and climb to 43rd by 2028, when the Marcos administration ends.
Despite the dip, the Philippines largely retained its standing relative to its peers.
It remained 11th among 17 economies in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and was behind only India and Vietnam among lower-middle income economies.
The Philippines was elevated to upper-middle income status by the World Bank only in July.
More significantly, the country continued to produce greater innovation outputs than its level of inputs would suggest, ranking 49th in innovation outputs but only 69th in inputs.
Wanted: More investments
Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said this reflected Filipinos’ ability to innovate with limited resources, but should instead strengthen the case for more investment.
“We must focus on the fundamental difference between being innovative despite constraints and having the scale of R&D (research and development) capability required to compete globally,” Solidum said.
Among the indicators used by the GII, the Philippines improved in nine and declined in three.
Its biggest strength was high-tech exports as a share of total trade, where it ranked fourth worldwide, followed by high-tech imports at sixth.
Other strengths included utility models by origin, creative goods exports, university-industry research and development collaboration, information and communications technology service exports, cluster development and high-tech manufacturing.
Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon attributed the strong high-tech trade performance largely to the semiconductor industry, but noted that the country remains concentrated in assembly, testing and packaging.
“The good news, though, is that there are very deliberate efforts to really move up the value chain,” Edillon said, pointing to the newly constituted Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council.
GII, meanwhile, flagged weaknesses in attracting global corporate R&D investors, the entertainment and media market, microfinance loans and the country’s performance in the Program for International Student Assessment, among others.
Human capital and research remained a particular weakness, with the Philippines ranking 100th in that pillar.
To reach its longer-term targets, Edillon said the government would have to address gaps in human capital, research, market sophistication and startup financing while building on the country’s high-tech strengths.
Solidum said the bigger challenge was ensuring that research ultimately translates into products that can be commercially scaled.
“What is important is, what can the Philippines make, scale and export because of our science, technology and innovation? This is where our priority should lie,” he said.
