THE Philippines placed 50th out of 139 countries in the 2025 Global Innovation Index (GII), up three places from a year earlier, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
This year’s edition of the GII gave the Philippines a score of 33.6 and noted its performance among its lower middle-income peers, behind only Vietnam (37.1) and India (38.2).
Within Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, the Philippines was 11th out of 16 economies.
The index considered around 80 indicators, including research and development (R&D) spending, venture capital (VC) deals, high-tech exports, and intellectual property filings in compiling the index.
WIPO said the Philippines’ main strength lies in its innovation ecosystem’s integration into global markets, noting its strong performance in the high-tech exports category.
The Philippines also placed fourth in high-tech imports and performed strongly in creative goods (16th) and ICT services exports (20th).
Despite weak infrastructure and R&D spending, the Philippines ranks 20th in high-tech manufacturing and 35th in intangible asset intensity, with growing production complexity and a budding creative sector, WIPO added. — Edg Adrian A. Eva
