Philippines ranks 7th in Asia Pacific digital index

The Philippines has ranked seventh among 21 countries in the GSMA Asia Pacific Digital Nations Index, cementing its position as a regional digital leader.

The country achieved a score of 60 out of 100 on the GSMA Intelligence Digital Nations Index, placing it in the “leading” tier alongside India and Vietnam, which both advanced from the “emerging” group.

The findings were officially launched at the Digital Nation Summit (DNS) Manila, where government officials, regulators, and industry leaders discussed strategies to build a secure, inclusive, and future-ready digital economy.

GSMA’s report, Digital Nations 2025: Sustaining Progress in Asia Pacific through Investment, highlights the country’s rapid progress and warns of risks if digital momentum is not sustained.

Recent government investments exceeding PHP 72 billion in broadband, cloud, and digital transformation projects have helped the domestic digital economy reach PHP 2.25 trillion, or 8.5 percent of GDP, with e-commerce alone accounting for more than PHP 500 billion in 2023.

Despite these gains, about 40 percent of the population remains offline, while shortfalls in cyber-security, advanced research, and rural connectivity present significant challenges.

The GSMA urged the Philippines to set clear national digital investment goals, align policies with digitalization targets, stimulate private sector involvement through public investments, ensure regulatory clarity, and address regional digital divides.

Julian Gorman, GSMA’s head for Asia-Pacific, said, “The Philippines has taken bold steps to put digital at the heart of its growth strategy, from budgets for broadband to ambitious targets on cloud and skills.”

“Our new research shows those efforts are paying dividends, but it also sets out the hard numbers on where further investment is urgently required,” he added.

“If industry and government can channel investment into 5G, fibre, cloud and cyber-security, while keeping regulation clear and predictable, the country can make the leap from a fast-growing digital economy to a truly inclusive digital nation.”

The index measures five core pillars of a digital nation—infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security, and people—using comparative data across Asia-Pacific economies.

Held under the theme Building a Secure Digital Nation: Pathways to Prosperity for the Philippines, DNS Manila served as a platform to align national goals with broader APAC digital ambitions.

The event opened with remarks from Gorman and a keynote address from Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Discussions focused on investing in digital infrastructure like 5G, fibre, and cloud; establishing strong data governance and cyber-security; and unlocking inclusive growth through skills and fintech.

DNS Manila coincided with Philippine Fintech Week and featured an APAC Fintech Forum roundtable on secure, interoperable digital-payment systems to drive inclusive growth.

Insights from the summit will contribute to regional policy dialogues at the upcoming M360 Asia-Pacific conference.

Across the region, the GSMA report revealed significant disparities in connectivity and digital readiness.

More than 100 million people in remote Asia-Pacific areas still lack mobile broadband access, while countries like Cambodia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have yet to launch 5G.

Meanwhile, AI infrastructure is emerging as a key concern, with CBRE projecting a 15–25 GW data center capacity gap by 2028—equivalent to 25–42 percent of expected demand.

The GSMA stressed that regional progress depends on strategic investment, cross-sector collaboration, and people-centered innovation to build truly digital nations.