Philippines advances in Global Presence Index
The Philippines rose two places to 42nd out of 150 countries with an index value of 58.64 in the latest edition of the Elcano Global Presence Index by Madrid-based think tank Elcano Royal Institute. Despite this, the country remained the region’s laggard after placing sixth-lowest among its peers in the East and Southeast Asian region. The index, which used 2024 data, evaluates a country’s international relations, foreign policy and global affairs, based on three dimensions: economy, defense, and soft presence.