Despite vibrant ICT, Philippines ranks below average in innovation
A vibrant information and communications technology (ICT) sector failed to push the Philippines higher on a global innovation ranking. According to the annual report of Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Philippines ranked only 73rd out of 126 economies in the 2018 Global Innovation Index, unchanged from a year earlier. The Philippines ranked 9th among the 30 lower-middle-income countries included in the index, and placed 13th among 15 countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania, which was described as “below average”. In terms of innovation output, the Philippines fell to 68th place from 65th. The Philippines has high scores, however, in five of the seven areas — Institutions; Human Capital & Research; Infrastructure; Business Sophistication, and Knowledge & Technology Outputs. In these segments it scores above the average of the lower-middle-income group. This is helped by the country’s business environment, tertiary education, ICT, knowledge workers and knowledge impact, the report said.
