Philippines falls in innovation index

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines slipped two places in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, as limited resources for innovation outweigh the country’s growing capacity to produce high-tech outputs.

The Philippines ranked 52nd in this year’s index, released annually by the World Intellectual Property Organization, down from 50th in 2025. The country’s rank is bolstered by high-tech manufacturing and trade, but trailed in domestic invention capabilities.

Despite the drop, the Philippines remains one of the world’s innovation over-performers along with China (10th), India (38th), Vietnam (43rd), Turkey (45th), Morocco (54th) and Indonesia (55th).

Manila ranked 49th in output rank, which measures tangible results from innovation activities.

It scored higher than the previous year in high-tech manufacturing, high-tech exports and information and communications technology services exports.

The Philippines and other middle-income economies struggle to foster a strong innovation environment and provide the necessary resources, the report said. –  Louella Desiderio

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