PoliticalTests
PH flag

Policy profile on 12 axes

How the Philippines Is Governed

Philippines is a unitary state that scores 0.29 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 25% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex couples have no legal recognition. Below: the laws, institutions and public spending of the Philippines, scored on the same 12 axes as the test, with every indicator and source.

Which country matches you? See the 12 axes
World map with Philippines markedPhilippines

Explore every country on the map

Policy profile

The 12 axes, indicator by indicator

This profile describes the country's policy regime (laws, institutions and public spending) from published indices, not the views of its people or its current leaders. Data as of October 2026; each value shows its own year.

Ownership+0.30PublicPrivate4 indicators and sources
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): Typical of OECD economies: state utilities, rail, post, some energy (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Property Rights (0-100): 45.8 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Investment Freedom (0-100): 70 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Financial Freedom (0-100): 60 (2026). Source
Markets+0.25PlannedFree5 indicators and sources
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Business Freedom (0-100): 69.2 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Labor Freedom (0-100): 57.8 (2026). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Monetary Freedom (0-100): 72.1 (2026). Source
  • Regulatory Quality, estimate (-2.5 to 2.5): 0.17 (2025). Source
  • State ownership of the economy (coded tier): Typical of OECD economies: state utilities, rail, post, some energy (2026). Source
Welfare+0.55SharedSelf-reliant3 indicators and sources
  • General government total expenditure (% of GDP): 24.57 (2025). Source
  • Domestic general government health expenditure (% of GDP): 2.16 (2023). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Tax Burden (0-100): 78.3 (2026). Source
Authority+0.15DemocraticStrong leader2 indicators and sources
  • Liberal Democracy Index (0-1): 0.29 (2025). Source
  • Judicial constraints on the executive (0-1): 0.66 (2025). Source
Security-0.20LibertyOrder4 indicators and sources
  • Freedom in the World civil liberties score (0-60): 33 (2025). Source
  • World Press Freedom Index score (0-100): 46.79 (2026). Source
  • Death penalty status: Abolished for all crimes (2025). Source
  • Prison population per 100,000 people: 151 (2021). Source
Structure+0.10LocalCentral2 indicators and sources
  • Territorial form of the state: Unitary state (2025). Source
  • Strong elected regional governments index (0-1): 0.88 (2025). Source
Morality+0.40ProgressiveTraditional3 indicators and sources
  • Same-sex marriage law (0 marriage, 1 civil union or partnership, 2 no recognition, 3 constitutional or statutory ban): No legal recognition (2026). Source
  • Abortion law: Prohibited, or only to save the woman's life (2025). Source
  • Women, Business and the Law: Legal Framework Index (0-100): 72.53 (2025). Source
Religion-0.35SecularReligious2 indicators and sources
  • Religion and the state: Separation: no official or funded religion (2025). Source
  • Blasphemy or religious-insult law in force: In force (2025). Source
Technology-0.40EmbraceCaution3 indicators and sources
  • Research and development expenditure (% of GDP): 0.28 (2020). Source
  • Nuclear power policy: Building or officially planning new reactors (2025). Nuclear program revived by executive order in 2023; no plant operating. Source
  • Genetically modified crop cultivation: GM crops grown commercially (2025). Source
Culture+0.60MulticulturalNational identity4 indicators and sources
  • International migrant stock (% of population): 0.08 (2024). Source
  • Citizenship by birth in the territory: None: citizenship by descent only (2025). Source
  • Residence required for ordinary naturalization (years; 0 = no ordinary route): 10 years (2025). Source
  • Dual citizenship for naturalizing adults: Allowed (2025). Source
Trade-0.55GlobalProtected4 indicators and sources
  • Tariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%): 1.76 (2022). Source
  • Tariff rate, applied, simple mean, all products (%): 3.94 (2022). Source
  • Index of Economic Freedom 2026: Trade Freedom (0-100): 83 (2026). Source
  • Trade (exports + imports) (% of GDP): 66.79 (2025). Source
Foreign policy-0.50CooperationStrength5 indicators and sources
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 1.3 (2025). Source
  • Military conscription: None: volunteer forces or no military (2025). Source
  • Nuclear weapons status (0 none, 1 considers, 2 pursues, 3 possesses): No nuclear weapons program (2023). Source
  • Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: Not a party (never joined, signed only, or withdrew) (2026). Withdrawal took effect in 2019. Source
  • Collective defense commitments: Integrated military alliance (NATO, a US mutual defense treaty, ANZUS, CSTO) (2026). Source

How country profiles are scored · Report a data error

Policy neighbours

Governed most like the Philippines

Every other country with a profile, tinted by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to those of the Philippines on the same 12 axes. The percentage uses the 12 Axes match formula.

  1. 1Indonesia83%
  2. 2Romania83%
  3. 3Hungary80%
  4. 4Poland80%
  5. 5Slovakia80%
Least similarCuba53%
World map of countries by how similar their policy regime is to PhilippinesClosest: 1. Indonesia 83%, 2. Romania 83%, 3. Hungary 80%, 4. Poland 80%, 5. Slovakia 80%, 6. South Korea 78%, 7. Bulgaria 77%, 8. Japan 77%, 9. Kenya 77%, 10. India 76%. Least similar: Cuba 53%. Every country is in the list after the map.Philippines
Similar to this country
  • Under 55%
  • 65 to 74%
  • 85% or more
  • This country
  • No profile yet
Hover, tap or tab to a country. A click opens its page.

★ Country match · 63 countries ★

See which country matches your politics

Is it the Philippines? Take the 12 Axes test and your result ranks every profiled country by how close its laws, institutions and public spending are to your views.

Find your country

FAQ

Philippines: questions

How is the Philippines governed, on the 12 axes?

Philippines is a unitary state that scores 0.29 out of 1 on the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index (2025). Government spending is 25% of GDP (IMF, 2025), the death penalty is abolished and same-sex couples have no legal recognition. Its policy regime leans furthest toward National identity on Culture (+0.60), Global on Trade (-0.55) and Self-reliant on Welfare (+0.55), on a scale from -1 to +1.

Which countries are governed most like the Philippines?

On the same 12 axes, the closest policy regimes are Indonesia (83%), Romania (83%) and Hungary (80%). The furthest is Cuba (53%). Matches use the same formula as the 12 Axes test.

Where does the data on the Philippines come from?

From 41 indicators dated 2020 to 2026, published by V-Dem, Freedom House, the Heritage Foundation, the IMF, the OECD, the World Bank, SIPRI, Reporters Without Borders, the World Prison Brief, UN DESA and others. Among them: a press freedom score of 46.8 out of 100 (RSF, 2026), 151 prisoners per 100,000 people (2021), military spending of 1.3% of GDP (SIPRI, 2025) and 0.1% of residents born abroad (UN DESA, 2024). Every value, year and source is listed in the profile above.

Does the profile describe what people in the Philippines think?

No. It describes the policy regime: laws, institutions and public spending. It does not measure public opinion or the speeches of the current government. To see which country is governed closest to your own views, take the 12 Axes test and open the country match on your result.

More countries

All 63 countries