The Philippines has established itself as the third fastest-growing economy in the world for investments in intangible assets, which include intellectual property (IP) rights, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In its World Intangible Investment Highlights (WIIH) 2026, Geneva-based WIPO said the Philippines’ intangible investments rose by 4.6 percent to reach $49.1 billion from 2021 to 2022.

This is the third-fastest growth rate among the 29 economies surveyed by WIPO, trailing only India’s 7.9 percent and Japan’s 4.8 percent.

The Philippines’ growth trajectory exceeded that of some of the world’s top economies, such as the United States (US) at 4.4 percent, Germany at 3.3 percent, France at 2.5 percent, and the United Kingdom (UK) at two percent.

WIPO said the country’s intangible investments grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9 percent from 2012 to 2022, surpassing the global average of 3.5 percent.

Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Teodoro Pascua said these figures demonstrate the growing importance of intangible assets as drivers of economic activity and long-term growth.

Intangible assets are non-physical assets that hold economic value, including organizational knowledge, research and development (R&D), data, brands, design, and other IP rights.

While these are harder to quantify than their tangible counterparts, such as buildings and machinery, WIPO said intangible assets play a crucial role in fueling innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

Based on the WIIH report, tangible investments in the Philippines accounted for around 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), while the share of intangible assets stood at around 4.4 percent.

WIPO said this is on par with middle-income economies that continue to prioritize tangible investments to address inadequate infrastructure development.

With the country’s recent classification as an upper-middle-income country (UMIC), Pascua said it is necessary to follow in the footsteps of larger economies in sustaining investments in knowledge, technology, and IP.

“As the Philippines enters upper-middle-income status, our rapid gains in R&D, software and brands show that we are paving the way toward that future and that we must reinforce the foundations through innovation-enabling IP policies and programs,” he said.

Among the categories of intangible assets, the Philippines posted the fastest growth in R&D, with a 20.1-percent CAGR between 2012 and 2022. The country likewise registered the fastest growth in software and databases, with an 18.3-percent growth rate during the same period.

While the two asset categories account for only around 15 percent of the country’s total intangible investments, investments in R&D rose by more than sixfold, while investments in software and databases increased by more than fivefold over the decade.

Organizational capital was the country’s largest intangible asset category, accounting for 48.3 percent of total intangible investments, according to WIPO.

The 2026 edition of WIIH marks the Philippines’ first appearance in the annual report, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to be featured.