The Philippines continues to be among the fastest-growing economies in the annual Global Innovation Index (GII), jumping three spots to 50th out of 139 member states, reflecting the country’s efforts to strengthen knowledge-based sectors.

According to the GII report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Philippines was among the nine middle-income economies within the top 70 that have climbed the fastest since 2013.

The Philippines, which climbed from 53rd to 50th, was recognized for this merit alongside China, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia, Morocco, Albania, and Iran.

The GII is an annual ranking that measures economies’ innovation capabilities, providing a benchmark for policymakers on driving economic progress and competitiveness.

Based on the GII, the Philippines retained its third spot in the lower-middle-income group, behind only India at 38th and Vietnam at 44th.

Among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the country also kept its fifth position.

The Philippines’ jump to 50th place exceeds the government’s 2025 target of 52nd, as outlined in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023 to 2028.

Under the PDP, which covers the Marcos administration’s development plan until the end of the term, the country would rank 49th in 2026, 46th in 2027, and 43rd in 2028.

WIPO, a specialized agency under the United Nations (UN), noted in the report that the Philippines has cemented its position as “one of the most consistent innovation climbers in South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.”

WIPO stated that a key component of Philippine innovation is its integration into global markets and its trade-driven economy, noting that the country produces and absorbs advanced technologies and digital services.

In this regards, the Philippines maintained its grasp of the world’s best in high-tech exports as a percentage of total trade, covering computers, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery.

The country ranked fourth in high-tech imports, while also performing strongly in creative goods at 16th and services exports of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at 20th.

While WIPO flagged the country’s weak spending on infrastructure and research and development (R&D), the presence of high-tech manufacturing suggests that innovation is being embedded across multiple industries.

It noted that the growing high-tech manufacturing, combined with improvements in intangible asset intensity and an increasingly recognized brand landscape, “reflects ongoing progress within knowledge-based sectors.”

Considering knowledge and technology outputs as a whole, the Philippines improved its rank to 38th from 42nd in the previous year.

Another strong performance for the country is in the pillar of business sophistication at 40th, although this is three spots lower than the ranking in 2024.

From falling to 77th last year, the Philippines managed to rise to 53rd in market sophistication.

According to the WIPO, this category reflects the availability of credit and an environment that supports investment, as well as access to the international market, competition, and market scale.

In terms of creative outputs, the Philippines’ rank moved to 61st from 60th.

Despite questioning the limited spending in infrastructure, the Philippines saw its ranking in this pillar climb 20 spots to 65th from 85th last year.

In the category of institutions, the country’s ranking stood at 61st, down from 65th in the previous year. This pillar measures an economy’s institutional framework that attracts business and fosters growth.

In human capital and research, which is the lowest-performing category for the country, it improved from 84th to 90th compared to last year. This reflects a relatively low level and standard in education and research.