PCT Filings in 2024
In 2024, PCT filings increased by 0.5% over 2023, totaling 273,900. China continued to be the largest origin of PCT filings, with 70,160 applications filed (0.9% growth over 2023), followed by the United States of America (U.S.), with 54,087 applications (-2.8%). The third, fourth and fifth rankings were again held by Japan (48,397, -1.2%), the Republic of Korea (23,851, +7.1%) and Germany (16,721, -1.3%), respectively. The top 10 countries of origin, followed by their respective percentage share of all PCT filings in 2024, were as follows:
| 1. | China | 70,160 | 25.6% | |
| 2. | United States of America | 54,087 | 19.7% | |
| 3. | Japan | 48,397 | 17.7% | |
| 4. | Republic of Korea | 23,851 | 8.7% | |
| 5. | Germany | 16,721 | 6.1% | |
| 6. | France | 8,125 | 3.0% | |
| 7. | United Kingdom | 5,861 | 2.1% | |
| 8. | Switzerland | 5,324 | 1.9% | |
| 9. | India | 4,552 | 1.7% | |
| 10. | Netherlands | 4,310 | 1.6% |
Beyond the top 10, Finland (#14) saw strong growth (2,004 applications, +30.1%) in PCT filings.
For information on the number of filings from all countries, including a comparison with filings in 2023, please refer to Annex 1 of WIPO Press Release PR/2025/934 at:
https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2025/article_0003.html
It is important to note that total filing numbers above, as well as the filing figures which follow, are provisional because not all PCT applications that were filed with national and regional Offices in 2024 have been received at the International Bureau, and the final figures for filings will only be available later in the year.
China-based telecommunications company Huawei Technologies remained the top PCT applicant for the eighth year running, with 6,600 applications published in 2024, followed by Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea (4,640), Qualcomm of the U.S. (3,848), LG Electronics of the Republic of Korea (2,083) and Contemporary Amperex Technology of China (1,993). Among the top 10 applicants, Samsung Electronics recorded the most significant increase (+18.2%) in the number of published applications in 2024 while, outside the top 10 applicants, US tech giants Apple (up nine positions from 2023) and Google (up five positions from 2023) both entered the top 20. At least eight of the top 20 applicants operate in the mobile phone and telecommunications sectors.
The top 10 applicants are listed below, with the number of PCT applications published in 2024 in which they were named as applicant:
| 1. | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd (CN) | 6,600 | |
| 2. | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd (KR) | 4,640 | |
| 3. | Qualcomm Incorporated (US) | 3,848 | |
| 4. | LG Electronics Inc. (KR) | 2,083 | |
| 5. | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CN) | 1,993 | |
| 6. | BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd (CN) | 1,959 | |
| 7. | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (JP) | 1,956 | |
| 8. | Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (CN) | 1,889 | |
| 9. | Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ) (SE) | 1,886 | |
| 10. | Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (JP) | 1,877 |
A list of the top 50 PCT applicants is available in Annex 2 of the press release.
In terms of filings by educational institutions, the University of California maintained its position held since 1993 as the largest user of the PCT System with 519 published applications in 2024.
The top 10 list consists of six universities from the U.S., two universities from China, and one university each from the Republic of Korea and Singapore. For more detailed information on PCT filings by educational institutions, please refer to Annex 3 of the press release.
Computer technology, which has accounted for the largest share of published PCT applications every year since 2019, was surpassed by digital communication which became the top-ranking field of technology with 10.5% of the total in 2024. It was followed by computer technology (9.7%), electrical machinery (8.6%), medical technology (6.5%), and measurement (4.4%). Only three of the top 10 technologies recorded growth in 2024, with digital communication (+9.9%) reporting the fastest rate of growth, followed by electrical machinery (+7.9%) and transport (+0.6%). For detailed information regarding the distribution of fields of technology of published applications, please refer to Annex 4 of the press release.
The publication of the final figures for 2024 filings (in the form of the Patent Cooperation Treaty Yearly Review – 2025) will be reported in the PCT Newsletter later in the year.