China Leads Global Patent Filings with Record Numbers

China registered nearly half of all global patent applications in 2024, significantly outpacing the United States, according to data from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). This marks China's continued leadership in global intellectual property activity.

Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK

A total of 1.8 million patent applications were filed in China last year. This figure represented nearly half of the global total and was more than three times the number submitted to the United States.

Globally, innovators submitted a record-breaking 3.7 million patent applications in 2024, a 4.9% increase from 2023. This marks the fifth consecutive year of growth, with an estimated 2.1 million patents granted worldwide.

China's patent filings saw a 9% year-on-year increase, adding approximately 153,000 more applications than in 2023. The country’s share of the world total has risen from 34.6% in 2014 to 49.1% in 2024.

China also issued over 1 million patents in 2024, more than three times the 319,815 patents issued by the United States. Chinese patent issuances increased by 124,000 cases compared with 2023, while the US approved 4,570 more, a 27-fold difference.

The United States ranked second in patent applications, followed by Japan, South Korea, and Germany. The US Patent and Trademark Office received 603,194 applications, a 0.8% increase from 2023.

Around 333,000, or more than half, of US applicants were non-residents. In contrast, 93.1% of patent applications made to China’s National Intellectual Property Administration originated from its residents, the highest among the top 20 countries.

Overall filings that originated in the United States, whether to the US office or abroad, totalled 501,831, representing a 3.7% drop. Over the past decade, Asia’s share of total global applications has risen to over 70%, with three of the top five countries for applications located in Asia. China, India, and South Korea have consistently been the main contributors to the overall growth in patent filings.

In 2024, India, Finland, and Turkey recorded double-digit growth among the top 20 origins. Both Northern America and Europe have seen a significant decline in their shares over the past decade.

Computer technology remained the most frequently featured field in published patent applications worldwide, accounting for 13.2% of the global total. This was followed by electrical machinery, measurement, digital communications, and medical technology, consistent with the 2023 ranking.

WIPO data also showed that China filed the largest number of trademarks and design applications. China-based applicants submitted approximately 7.3 million combined domestic and abroad trademark applications in 2024, nine times the number from second-ranked US applicants.

Additionally, Chinese applicants submitted 825,330 design applications, accounting for more than half of global activity.

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• China filed nearly half of all global patent applications in 2024, totalling 1.8 million.

• Global patent applications reached a record 3.7 million in 2024, an increase of 4.9% from 2023.

• China issued over 1 million patents, more than three times the US total of 319,815.

Source: SCMP