China submitted the highest number of patent applications in 2024, leading global intellectual property activity, a new report shows.
A total of 1.8 million patent applications were filed in China last year, accounting for nearly half of the global total and more than three times the number submitted to the United States, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
The US is ranked second on the list, followed by Japan, South Korea and Germany.
Meanwhile, China issued over 1 million patents, more than three times the amount issued by the US, which was 319,815. The Chinese saw a 124,000 case increase compared with 2023, while the US only approved 4,570 more, which was a 27 times difference.
The organisation found in 2024 global innovators submitted a record-breaking 3.7 million patent applications, up 4.9 per cent on 2023, and a fifth straight year of rise, and an estimated 2.1 million patents were granted worldwide.
China’s patent filing had a 9 per cent increase year on year, with about 153,000 more than last year, and the Chinese share of the world total has risen from 34.6 per cent in 2014 to 49.1 per cent in 2024, the report noted.
As many as 93.1 per cent of patent applications made to China’s National Intellectual Property Administration were from its residents, the highest among the top 20 countries.
In contrast, the US Patent and Trademark Office received 603,194 applications, 0.8 per cent more than 2023, but around 333,000, or more than half of the US applicants, were non-residents. The filings that originated in the US, either to the US office or abroad, were 501,831, a 3.7 per cent drop.
Over the past decade, Asia saw its share of total applications filed globally rising to over 70 per cent, with three of the top five 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 shares over the past decade, the statistics show.
Computer technology remains the most frequently featured field in published patent applications worldwide, accounting for 13.2 per cent of the global total. It was followed by electrical machinery, measurement, digital communications and medical technology, which was consistent with the ranking in 2023.
Additionally, China also filed for the largest number of trademarks and design applications.
China-based applicants in 2024 submitted a combined domestic and abroad application of around 7.3 million trademarks, which is nine times the second-ranked US applicants, as well as 825,330 design applications, more than half of global activity, according to the WIPO data. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
