The Philippines has slipped further in the 2025 IMD World Talent Ranking, landing at 64th out of 69 countries evaluated—its lowest position in two decades.
According to the latest report by the IMD World Competitiveness Center, the country earned a score of just 34.72 out of 100, reflecting continued struggles in attracting, retaining, and developing talent. This marks the Philippines’ worst finish since the ranking began in 2005, and places it second to the bottom among 14 Asia-Pacific economies, just ahead of Mongolia, which ranked last globally with 28.45 points.
Sharp decline in talent readiness and investment
The Philippines experienced a steady drop across the three main pillars of the ranking—Appeal, Readiness, and Investment & Development. The decline reflects systemic issues such as limited education investment, weak talent retention mechanisms, and underwhelming upskilling programs.
As shown in the historical performance graph, the country’s overall rank has steadily deteriorated from 51st in 2020 to 64th in 2025, while other regional peers have maintained or improved their standings.
Regional comparison paints a grim picture
In contrast, Hong Kong SAR (rank 4), Singapore (7), Taiwan (11), and Australia (19) remain in the top tier within the Asia-Pacific region. Malaysia (25) and South Korea (38) also outperformed the Philippines by a wide margin. Even countries like Indonesia (53) and India (63), which traditionally face similar development hurdles, ranked higher.
Top and bottom performers
The top five countries globally were:
Switzerland – 100.00
Luxembourg – 83.08
Iceland – 82.19
Hong Kong SAR – 80.10
The Netherlands – 80.09
Meanwhile, the bottom five included:
Mongolia – 28.45
Venezuela – 29.03
Brazil – 31.08
Mexico – 33.14
Türkiye – 34.21
