Philippines’ Academic Freedom Index score drops to over 40-year low
The Philippines’ score dropped to an over four-decade low of 0.589 (out of 1, where 1 is best) in the 2026 update of the Academic Freedom Index. The report, released by the researchers from Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and the V-Dem Institute, evaluates academic freedom worldwide across key indicators, including institutional autonomy, campus integrity, and freedom of expression in academia and culture. Despite the decline, the country ranked sixth highest among its peers in East and Southeast Asia.
