The Philippines slipped two spots to 52nd out of 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII), the World Intellectual Property Organization’s annual ranking of innovation capability. The country placed 50th in 2025, its best result so far, and this year’s showing falls short of the Philippine Development Plan, which aimed for 49th in 2026 and 43rd by 2028, when the Marcos administration’s term ends.
Measured against its peers, the country held its ground. It stayed 11th among 17 economies in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, and among lower-middle income economies it trailed only India and Vietnam. The World Bank moved the Philippines to upper-middle income status only in July. The index also shows the country getting more out of less: it ranked 49th for innovation outputs but just 69th for inputs. Of the indicators tracked, the Philippines improved in nine and fell in three.
High-tech exports as a share of total trade were its strongest area, ranking fourth in the world, with high-tech imports sixth. Other strengths included utility models by origin, creative goods exports, research collaboration between universities and industry, ICT service exports, cluster development, and high-tech manufacturing. Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon credited the semiconductor industry for much of the high-tech trade figure, but noted the sector is still concentrated in assembly, testing, and packaging. She cited “very deliberate efforts to really move up the value chain,” including the new Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council.
The report also listed weak spots. The Philippines struggled to attract global corporate R&D investors and scored poorly on its entertainment and media market, microfinance lending, and results in the Program for International Student Assessment. Human capital and research was the weakest pillar, where the country ranked 100th. Edillon said meeting longer-term targets will require closing gaps in human capital, research, market sophistication, and startup funding while building on existing high-tech strengths.
Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the output-heavy result shows Filipinos can innovate with limited resources, and that it should make the case for more investment in research rather than less. He argued the country needs R&D at a scale that can compete globally, and that research must lead to products that can be commercialized. The priority, he said, should be “what can the Philippines make, scale and export.”
