PH ranks 3rd fastest in intangible investment growth—WIPO

PH ranks 3rd fastest in intangible investment growth—WIPO

Logan Kal-El M. Zapanta 
Inquirer.net
08 July 2026

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked as the world’s third-fastest-growing market for intangible investments in its first appearance in a World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) report, making it the only Southeast Asian economy included.

In its World Intangible Investment Highlights 2026, Wipo said the Philippines’ intangible investments grew by 4.6 percent from 2021 to 2022, following only India (7.9 percent) and Japan (4.8 percent) among the 29 economies covered.

From 2012 to 2022, the country’s intangible investments grew at a compound annual growth rate of 3.9 percent, expanding the global average of 3.5 percent.

According to Teodoro Pascua, director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, the findings showed the country’s growing investment in knowledge-based assets as it enters upper-middle-income status.

“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,” Pascua said during the report’s launch on Wednesday. 

Valued at $49.1B

Wipo estimated the Philippines’ intangible investments at $49.1 billion in 2022.

Among the different asset classes, research and development (R&D) posted the fastest growth, growing at a compound annual rate of 20.1 percent from 2012 to 2022.

Software and databases followed at 18.3 percent, making the Philippines the fastest-growing economy in that category.

Wipo Assistant Director General Marco Alemán said the country’s investment in software and data, which averaged more than 80 percent annual growth over the past decade, reflected a shift “from an economy of things to an economy of ideas.”

Although R&D and software accounted for only about 15 percent of the country’s total intangible investments, spending on R&D increased more than sixfold during the period, while investment in software and databases grew more than fivefold.

Organizational capital remained the country’s largest intangible asset, accounting for 48.3 percent of total intangible investments, followed by brands at 28.9 percent.

Brand investments reached $14.2 billion, placing the Philippines among the world’s 12 largest investors in the category.

Despite the strong growth, intangible assets accounted for only 4.4 percent of GDP in 2022, compared with 20 percent for tangible investments, WIPO said. 

The report, now in its third edition, covers 29 economies representing about 57 percent of global GDP. Global intangible investments surpassed $10 trillion in 2025 for the first time, an all-time high. /pai INQ

Philippines among the fastest risers in Global Innovation Index

Global Innovation Index: Philippines rises to 53rd

Louella Desiderio 
The Philippine Star
September 27, 2024

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was among the fastest risers in a decade in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), moving up three places this year to 53rd out of 133 economies.

The report released yesterday showed the country was among the fastest 10-year climbers starting from 90th in 2013.

Other economies that have made the biggest advances in the GII in the past decade are China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Turkey, Vietnam and Morocco.

Aside from the Philippines moving up three ranks from the previous year’s 56th, the WIPO said it has also attained third position in the lower middle-income group.

The Philippines’ 2024 GII rank is also better than the government’s target of placing 54th this year under the Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

The GII ranks economies based on their innovation ecosystem performance and tracks global innovation trends. It is intended to guide policymakers, business leaders and others in unleashing human ingenuity to improve lives and address shared challenges, like climate change.

“Notable areas in which it excels are trade-related indicators, including high-tech exports (first globally), high-tech imports, creative goods exports and ICT (information communications technology) services exports,” WIPO said.

It said the Philippines has also made advances, albeit at lower levels, in intangible assets, driven by its strong global brand value and the intangible asset intensity of its companies.

The Philippines moved up in almost all pillars tracked by the report. In particular, it ranked 65th in the institutions pillar, up from 79th in the previous year.

In human capital and research, the Philippines moved up to 84th from 88th last year.

As for infrastructure, the Philippines climbed to 85th from 86th in 2023.

The Philippines, however, saw its ranking go down to 77th in market sophistication from 55th last year.

In terms of business sophistication, the Philippines rose to 37th from 38th in 2023.

It also moved up in knowledge and technology outputs to 42nd place from the previous year’s 46th.

In creative outputs, the Philippines’ rank remained at 60th.

Under the PDP, the aim is for the Philippines to rank 43rd in the GII by 2028.