A geographical indication (GI) is a sign identifying a good as having originated from a specific geographical area and possessing a given quality, reputation or other characteristic essentially attributable to that geographical origin. Thus, the main function of a GI is to identify goods whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are connected to their territory of origin.
GIs can be protected through a variety of legal means (e.g., sui generis systems, trademark law, regional systems, international agreements, other national legal means, etc.). In addition, the protection of GIs at a national level is often shared among several agencies. WIPO has made a major effort to gather data from all relevant sources, but in many instances it has not been possible to obtain the necessary data from every source. For instance, many countries are unable to identify GIs protected through the trademark system. Nonetheless, the statistics gathered afford a valuable insight into how this form of intellectual property (IP) is being used in different parts of the world.
How many GIs are in force worldwide?
Data received by WIPO from a total of 86 national and regional authorities show there were an estimated 58,600 protected GIs in existence in 2023.
Of the 58,600 GIs in force in 2023, upper middle-income economies accounted for 52.2% of the world total, followed by high-income (42.9%), lower middle-income economies (4.8%) and low-income economies (0.1%).
World IP Indicators 2024 shows (see figure E1) the total number of GIs in force within selected national and regional authorities, while figure E2 reports data on GIs in force within EU member states. In 2023, China (9,785) had the most GIs in force within its territory, followed by Germany (7,586), Hungary (7,290) and the Czech Republic (6,657) (figure 5.1). The high rankings achieved by EU countries is explained by the fact that the 5,376 GIs in force throughout the EU regional system are in force in every member state. In addition, some EU member states, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, are party to the Lisbon System; therefore GIs in force via the Lisbon System (1,085 appellations of origin and geographical indications, excluding domestic and refusals) are also included in the total. Several middle-income economies had a high number of GIs in force within their jurisdiction in 2023; for example, there were 6,192 GIs in force in Bulgaria, 4,721 in the Republic of Moldova and 4,678 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Again, these countries’ high ranking in terms of GIs in force is because they are party to the Lisbon System. In contrast, Brazil (119) and India (530) had considerably fewer GIs in force, which could be explained by them having no GIs protected through international agreements in 2023.
The legal means for protecting geographical indications varies among authorities
Figure 5.2 shows the total number of GIs in force broken down by the legal means of protection for selected national and regional authorities. All GIs in force in Brazil, India, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America (US) were protected through national systems, whereas the bulk of GIs in force in Costa Rica (97%), Cuba (96.8%) and the Dominican Republic (94.5%) were protected through the Lisbon System. In contrast, almost every GI in force in Armenia (99.7%) and the United Kingdom (UK) (99.8%) was protected via international agreements.
Foreign GIs accounted for the majority of total GIs in most national or regional authorities that provided GI data by origin
More than 50 authorities provided data on GIs broken down according to source (i.e., whether they are a national or foreign GI). Figure 5.3 shows data for selected national and regional authorities. The share of national GIs ranged from as low as 0.4% in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Costa Rica to as high as 100% in Bangladesh and Ethiopia. More than 90% of the GIs in force in Brazil (92.4%), China (96.2%), India (93.6%), Türkiye (99.8%) and Viet Nam (91.5%) were national GIs, whereas almost all those in force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (99.6%) and Costa Rica (99.6%) were foreign GIs. Of the 58 authorities that provided data for 2023, national GIs accounted for more than 60% of the total in 24 authorities. In contrast, foreign GIs made up more than 60% of the total in the remaining 34 authorities.
Wines and spirits accounted for almost half of GIs in force globally
GIs in force relating to wines and spirits (48.1%) accounted for almost half of the 2023 global total, while agricultural products and foodstuffs accounted for 44.8% and handicrafts 4.2% of the total. In terms of absolute numbers, China (8,163) reported the highest number of GIs in force for agricultural products and foodstuffs, followed by the EU (2,047), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1,975) and the UK (1,723). When it comes to the category of wines and spirits, the EU (3,329) had the most GIs in force, followed by the Republic of Moldova (2,910), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2,481) and the UK (2,434). China (388), India (274), Austria (189) and Türkiye (165) each had a considerable number of GIs in force for handicrafts in 2023. Only four jurisdictions – Brazil; China, Macao SAR; Serbia; and the US – reported protecting GIs for services.
The GIs in force data reported here are partial and incomplete and therefore ought to be interpreted with caution. The questionnaire underlying the data collection requested information from respondents regarding GIs protected through sui generis systems, trademark systems, other national legal means, regional systems and international agreements (including GIs in force under the Lisbon System and the Madrid System). As table E8 in World IP Indicators 2024 indicates, many countries did not provide statistics on the number of GIs protected through the trademark system. This might be because the countries concerned do not use the trademark system to protect GIs or else some countries that do use it have difficulty separating GIs from other trademarks (most commonly, collective and certification trademarks). In addition, several countries could not provide data on how many GIs were protected through international agreements.
China (2,412) reported the highest number of GIs protected via the sui generis system, followed by Türkiye (1,504) and Canada (676).
There were 1,085 appellations of origin and geographical indications in force via the Lisbon System in 2023
As of 2023, the Lisbon System consisted of 43 Contracting Parties, after the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) plus Côte d’Ivoire, the Russian Federation, Sao Tome and Principe, and Senegal acceded to the System that year.
The number of appellations of origin (AOs) and geographical indications in force via the Lisbon System increased from 817 in 2009 to 1,085 in 2023, representing a 30% increase over this period (figure 5.4). The increase in the total number of AOs and GIs in the most recent past is mainly due to an increase in registrations by the EU.
France remains the primary user of the Lisbon System. It accounted for two-fifths (35.1%) of the 2023 total, followed by the EU (21.5%), Italy (15.3%), the Islamic Republic of Iran (6.7%) and the Czech Republic (3.7%) (figure E7). These five origins accounted for more than four-fifths of the 2023 total. The EU – a recent member of the Lisbon System – had 91 new registrations, taking its tally to 233 AOs and GIs in 2023. The Islamic Republic of Iran (4 new registrations) and the Russian Federation (+1) are the two other origins with new registrations in 2023. The number of AOs and GIs in force via the Lisbon System decreased by 44 for France and 5 for Hungary due to cancellations of previously registered AOs.
