In 2023, innovators from around the world submitted a record-breaking 3.55 million patent applications, up 2.7% on 2022
In 2023, innovators worldwide filed 3.55 million patent applications, marking a 2.7% increase over 2022 (figure 1.1). Following a 3% decline in 2019 – at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – patent applications globally have risen for four consecutive years. A substantial rise in filings by applicants residing in China (at least 57,830 additional applications in 2023 compared to 2022), the Republic of Korea (+15,628), the United States of America (US) (+12,682), Japan (+9,040) and India (+8,734) were the main driver of growth in 2023.
The worldwide filing of 3.55 million applications in 2023 comprised 2.53 million resident filings (71.2% of the total) and 1.02 million non-resident filings (28.8%). Resident filings grew by 4.9% in 2023, while non-resident filings declined by 2.2%. Since 2010, resident filings have grown at a faster rate compared to non-resident filings in every year, except for 2019, 2021 and 2022, mainly because of a strong growth in resident filings in China. Resident filings in China increased by more than fivefold since 2010, when they numbered around 293,000, to over 1.5 million in 2023. It is notable that a substantial surge in resident filings within China has contributed to a significant drop in the global share of non-resident filings, which have decreased from 38.2% in 2009 to 28.8% in 2023. However, in absolute numbers, non-resident filings have grown from around 710,000 in 2009 to 1.02 million in 2023.
The long-term trend in global patent applications has consistently been upward. Applications had doubled from around 1 million in 1995 to approximately 2 million by 2010, and reached the 3.55 million mark in 2023.
For the first time, applicants residing in India submitted more than half of all patent applications (55.2%) received by India’s IP office
The National Intellectual Property Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNIPA) received 1.68 million patent applications in 2023, up 3.6% on 2022.
The composition and the ranking of the top 10 offices globally has remained unchanged for the past three years (2021–2023). Similarly, the list of intellectual property (IP) offices occupying 11th to 20th position has remained the same for the past two years (2022–2023), except that Viet Nam has moved up two spots to 20th, while Israel has dropped three places from 18th to 21st. Among top 20 offices, there is a substantial variation in the source of applications. For example, non-resident applicants accounted for nine out of every 10 applications received by the IP offices of Australia; China, Hong Kong SAR; Mexico, and South Africa. In contrast, only around one in 10 applications received by the IP office of China was a non-resident application. India is the office that has seen the biggest change in the resident and non-resident distribution over the past 10 years, with the share of resident filings in increasing from 24.8% in 2013 to 55.2% in 2023. For the first time, in 2023, applicants residing in India accounted for more than half of all the patent applications received by the IP office of India. The resident and non-resident distribution at the IP offices of France, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Viet Nam has remained relatively stable over the past decade.
Four of the top five offices – China (+3.6%), the EPO (+3%), Japan (+3.7%) and the Republic of Korea (+2.4%) – registered strong filings growth in 2023. China recorded its fourth consecutive year of growth, while the EPO and Japan both marked a third straight year of growth. Following a dip in filings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the USPTO has recorded two successive years of modest growth, with increases of 0.5% in 2022 and 0.6% in 2023. Filings at the IP office of the Republic of Korea returned to growth with a 2.4% increase in 2023, following a small decline (–0.2%) the previous year.
A majority of top 20 offices – 13 out of 20 – received a greater number of patent applications in 2023 than in 2022. Among the biggest increases were those at the offices of India (+17.2%), Viet Nam (+8.6%), Indonesia (+5.9%) and France (+5.6%). In the case of Viet Nam, this marked a 12th consecutive year of growth, with an increase in non-resident filings driving the overall growth for 2023. India, on the other hand, experienced a seventh straight year of growth, 2023’s 17.2% representing a second successive year of double-digit growth driven by a substantial increase in resident filings. Strong growth in non-resident filings was the primary driver of overall growth in France and Indonesia.
Seven top 20 offices received fewer applications in 2023 than in 2022, with South Africa experiencing a sharp decline of 23.3% and China, Hong Kong SAR (–11.8%) also reporting a sizable drop. Canada (–6.4%), Mexico (–5.9%) and Singapore (–6%) recorded a similar magnitude of decline, while Australia (–2.4%) and the Russian Federation (–0.8%) observed a modest decrease in 2023 applications.
Looking beyond the top 20 offices to selected offices of low- and middle-income countries shows the offices of the Islamic Republic of Iran (8,852), Türkiye (8,741) and Thailand (8,605) having received over 8,000 applications in 2023. Ethiopia (+28.1%), albeit from a low base (82 filings in 2023), reported the fastest growth rate in 2023, with a substantial increase in resident filings the main driver of overall growth at this office. A majority of the selected low- and middle-income country offices reported in World IP Indicators 2024 (figure A10) received fewer applications in 2023 than in 2022. A drop in non-resident filings was the primary contributor to the overall decline at all these offices, apart from those of Colombia, North Macedonia and Türkiye.
Each of the three regional offices – namely, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), the Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) – received fewer applications in 2023 compared to the previous year. For each office, a decline in non-resident filings accounts for the overall decrease.
In 2023, offices located in Asia received around 68.7% of patent applications filed globally, an increase of 10.3 percentage points on a decade earlier in 2013
Offices located in Asia received approximately 2.44 million applications in 2023, constituting 68.7% of the world total (figure 1.3). This is to be expected considering that three of the top five offices to have received the most patent applications in 2023 are located in Asia. Over the course of a decade, Asia’s share of total applications filed globally has increased by 10.3 percentage points from 58.4% in 2013 to 68.7% in 2023. This has been mostly because of robust filing growth in China, which contributed 68.8% of all applications filed within the Asian region during 2023, with the remaining 45 offices contributing 32.2% of the total.
Both Northern America and Europe have seen a significant decline in shares over the past decade. Northern America’s share has decreased from 23.6% in 2013 to 17.8% in 2023, while Europe’s has fallen by 3.2 percentage points down to 10.3% over the same period. The combined share for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Oceania stood at 3.2% in 2023, 1.2 percentage points lower than in 2013.
Every year from 1883 to 1963, except for 1942–1943 and 1949–1950, the patent office of the United States of America (US) was the world’s leading patent filing office.
Among top 20 origins, applicants residing in Finland (+11.2%) and India (+15.7%) recorded double-digit growth in 2023
Applications received by offices from resident and non-resident applicants are referred to as office data, whereas applications filed by applicants at a national or regional office (resident applications) or at a foreign office (applications abroad) are referred to as origin data. Patent statistics based on the residence of the first named applicant are reported in order to complement the picture of patent activity worldwide. Data by origin can be calculated based on either absolute count (an application filed at a regional office is counted once) or equivalent count (an application filed at a regional office is counted multiple times). Data reported in this section are based on absolute count.
Innovators residing in China filed around 1.64 million patent applications worldwide in 2023 (resident plus abroad filings). China was followed by the US (518,364), Japan (414,413), the Republic of Korea (287,954) and Germany (133,053).
The distribution of resident and abroad filings differs considerably among the top 20 origins. China had by far the lowest share of applications filed abroad, accounting for only 7.3% of the total. In contrast, filings abroad constituted a significant proportion of total applications originating from Australia (77.6%), Canada (83%), Israel (90.7%) and Switzerland (74.4%). The bulk of the abroad filings originating from Australia, Canada and Israel were filed at the USPTO, while a large proportion of filings from applicants residing in Switzerland were filed at the EPO. Filings abroad are closely related to market size and geographical proximity. Every top 20 origin is a high-income country, except for China and India. Additionally, a majority of the top 20 origins are European countries.
Beyond the top 20 origins, applicants from Brazil (7,298), the Islamic Republic of Iran (8,653), and Türkiye (10,105) filed a substantial number of applications in 2023, the majority of which were resident filings – ranging from 98.3% in the Islamic Republic of Iran to 68.1% in Brazil. For each of the selected origins, except for Cuba, Mauritius, Samoa and South Africa, resident filings accounted for more than half of the total, reflecting applicants’ focus on patent protection within the domestic market.
Turning to abroad filings, US-based applicants filed the most patent applications abroad in 2023, with a total of at least 242,467.
Switzerland (31,148), the United Kingdom (UK) (30,821), France (28,115), Canada (20,026) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (17,020) round out the top 10 rankings for abroad filings. Several countries have seen substantial increases in abroad filings over the past decade. For example, China's filings increased 4.2-fold between 2013 and 2023, while Saudi Arabia reported a 2.9-fold increase over the same period. Singapore and Türkiye each reported a 1.8-fold growth in abroad filings.
Analysis of the flow of non-resident applications between origins and offices shows that US applicants accounted for the largest proportion of non-resident filings in 14 of the 20 offices presented in World IP Indicators 2024 (table A19). Proportions ranged from 50.7% at the IP office of Canada to 23% at the IP office of Indonesia. Applicants residing in Japan held the largest non-resident share at two of the 20 offices — namely, China (29.8%) and the US (22.7%). Chinese applicants accounted for 19.3% and 38.7% of non-resident applications in the Russian Federation and South Africa, respectively, reflecting strong cross-border filings among BRICS nations. Meanwhile, German applicants accounted for 22.8% of all non-resident applications filed in France and Swiss applicants accounted for 32.2% in Italy, reflecting the geographical proximity of these countries.
Comparing the flow of non-resident filings over the past decade reveals that, for all origins except China, Germany and Japan, the proportion of non-resident filings at the offices listed in World IP Indicators 2024 (table A19) remained relatively stable between 2013 and 2023. China’s non-resident share has significantly increased across all patent offices listed in World IP Indicators 2024(table A19). The most substantial rise was observed at the IP office of South Africa, where China's share surged from 2.5% in 2013 to 38.7% in 2023. Japan's non-resident share declined across all patent offices, except in Germany. For instance, at the EPO, Japan’s share dropped from 30.3% in 2013 to 19.0% in 2023. Similarly, Germany’s non-resident share has experienced a notable decline at many offices: for example, at the IP office of Italy, its share dropped from 25.1% in 2013 to 11.3% in 2023.
Republic of Korea residents filed the most patents per GDP and per population in 2023
Variations in the patenting activity across countries reflects differences in the size and structure of economies. It is therefore informative to examine resident patent activity with regard to variables such as population, research and development (R&D) spending, and gross domestic product (GDP).
With 7,309 resident patent applications per unit of USD 100 billion GDP, the Republic of Korea continued to be the country filing the most patent applications in 2023 (figure 1.5). Its patent-to-GDP ratio is far above that of second placed China (4,875). Japan (3,974) had the third highest patent-to-GDP ratio, followed by Switzerland (1,462) and Finland (1,247). For the first time, Germany dropped out of the top five ranking to be replaced by Finland in 2023. Germany (1,214), the US (1,119), Sweden (1,035), Denmark (859) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (714) round out the top 10 origins.
Several countries with a relatively low resident patent application count, among them Austria, Denmark and Luxembourg, rank among the top 20 origins, when resident patent applications are adjusted according to GDP. The list of top 20 origins predominantly comprises high-income countries, which tend to have a high R&D expenditure. However, three middle-income countries – China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Türkiye – also feature.
Among top origins, China has seen a considerable improvement in its resident patent-to-GDP ratio, increasing from 4,030 in 2013 to 4,875 in 2023. Similarly, India also saw a significant improvement, with its patent-to-GDP ratio rising from 144 to 381 over the same period. The increase in the ratio for China and India can be attributed to resident filings growing at a faster rate than GDP. In contrast, three origins with high patent-to-GDP ratios – Germany, Japan and the US – have consistently recorded a downward trend over the past decade. This downward trend in the ratio is due to a decrease in resident filings, combined with strong GDP growth.
The profile of resident applications per million population is similar to that adjusted for GDP, but there are subtle differences. The composition of the top 10 origins for resident applications according to GDP and by population is identical, except for slight changes in rank for a few origins. For example, China ranks fourth according to the patent-to-population measure, but occupies second position for patent-to-GDP ratio. The Republic of Korea (3,696) maintains its lead when resident applications are expressed according to population, followed by Japan (1,839) and Switzerland (1,212), ahead of China (1,079) and the US (824). In terms of long-term trends, the patent-to-population ratio exhibits a pattern similar to the patent-to-GDP ratio. China and the Republic of Korea saw a notable improvement in patent-to-population ratio, while Japan and Germany experienced a considerable decline. For example, Japan’s patent-to-population ratio declined from 2,132 in 2013 to 1,839 in 2023, driven by decline in resident filings.
Patent filings for unique inventions more than doubled, increasing from 0.92 million in 2007 to 2.14 million in 2021
Patent rights are territorial in nature. In order to protect inventions in several countries, applicants often file patent applications for the same invention in multiple jurisdictions. This being the case, adding patent data from different jurisdictions would inflate the number of new inventions. Patent family data are therefore frequently used in order to eliminate (or at least minimize) double counting. The basic idea behind a patent family is to group together all applications – original and subsequent filings – related to each other via priority filing(s). WIPO has developed indicators for patent families with the aim of capturing the actual number of unique inventions by excluding double counting so far as possible. The drawback of such data is the consequent time lag, which can be up to three years.
Patent family numbers worldwide have fluctuated over the past four years. There was a sharp decline in 2019 (–7.1%) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the number of patent families rebounded in 2020, reaching 2.15 million, with an 8.6% growth rate, before a small decrease (–0.5%) in 2021 to 2.14 million patent families. The trend over the past 15 years shows the number of patent families increasing significantly from 0.92 million in 2007 to 2.14 million in 2021 (figure 1.6). During this period, the growth rate varied, with double-digit growth in 2012–2013 and 2015–2017.
Applicants from China accounted for more than two-thirds of all patent families (67.8%), followed by Japan (8.6%), the US (7.3%), the Republic of Korea (7.2%) and Germany (2.2%). China's patent families have grown exponentially from around 133,200 in 2007 to around 1,449,100 in 2021, while Japan shows a declining trend from 305,000 to 183,000 over the same period. The Republic of Korea shows a steady increase in patent families, while both Germany and the US have maintained a relatively stable number over the past 15 years.
The US (168,019) created by far the most patent families that were foreign-oriented, accounting for 21.4% of the world total for the period 2019–2020).
The size of a patent family (indicating the number of offices at which a patent is filed) reflects its geographical coverage. Around 85.3% of patent families created worldwide between 2019 and 2021 were filed at a single office. This high percentage of single-office families is mainly attributable to the filing behavior of Chinese applicants, who mostly file applications at a single office – 96.7% of patent families originating from China are single-office families. This is somewhat to be expected considering China is the second largest economy after the US. However, there is a considerable variation among top origins. For example, more than two-thirds of all patent families originating from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland covered two or more offices. In contrast, less than 5% of patent families originating from China and the Russian Federation were filed at more than one office. Origins whose patent families had the widest geographical coverage were the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Switzerland where 12.4% and 18.5% of patent families respectively covered more than four offices. This could partly be due to these two countries having a small domestic market combined with a large number of multinational companies within their borders.
A patent family is a set of interrelated patent applications filed at one or more offices to protect the same invention. Patent applications within a family are interlinked by one or more of the following: priority claim, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) national phase entry, continuation, continuation-in-part, internal priority, and addition or division. A special subset comprises foreign-oriented patent families – that is, those patent families that have at least one filing office different from the office of the applicant’s country of origin. Some foreign-related patent families include only one filing office. This is because applicants may choose to file only at a foreign office. For example, if a Canadian applicant files a patent application directly with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) without having previously filed with the patent office of Canada, that patent family will constitute a foreign-oriented patent family with just one office.
Five of the top 10 origins filed most heavily in computer-related technology between 2020 and 2022
In 2022 – the latest year for which complete data are available owing to the delay between application and publication – computer technology emerged as the most frequently featured technology in published patent applications worldwide, accounting for 12.4% of the world total. It was followed by electrical machinery (6.8%), measurement (5.9%), medical technology (5.4%) and digital communication (5.3%). These five fields have occupied the top five spots in the ranking since 2012, albeit in varying order. The combined share of these five fields has increased from 28.8% in 2012 to 35.9% in 2022, mainly driven by a strong growth in computer-related technology filings.
Among the top 10 fields of technology, computer technology (+10.7%) is the only field to have witnessed double-digit growth between 2012 and 2022. Filings related to measurement (+7.7%), medical technology (+7.1%) and digital communication (+6.7%) also saw robust growth over the same period. In contrast, pharmaceuticals (+3.1%) and semiconductors (+2.3%) demonstrated the slowest growth rates.
Five of the top 10 origins – China (13.9% of all published applications), India (11%), the Republic of Korea (9.4%), the UK (8.9%) and the US (13.8%) – filed most heavily in computer technology during the 2020–2022 period. Japan (9.8%) filed mostly in electrical machinery; France (11.2%) and Germany (11.7%) in transport; the Kingdom of the Netherlands (12.7%) and Switzerland (11%) in medical technology. The share of top five fields for the top 10 origins ranged from 32.4% in Japan to 43.5% in the US.
Among large middle-income countries during the same period, applicants residing in Brazil (8.8% of total published applications) filed most heavily in other special machines; Mexico (12.3%) in pharmaceuticals; Thailand (21.9%) in optics; and Türkiye (8.2%) in medical technology.
Solar energy accounted for more than half (54.4%) of all energy-related applications published during 2020–2022
The number of published patent applications related to energy technologies – solar, fuel cell, wind, geothermal and hydro energy – increased from around 29,400 in 2007 to around 44,700 in 2022, with double-digit year-on-year growth in 2009 (+17.7%), 2010 (+12.6%) and 2021 (+15.1%).
Solar energy constituted more than half (54.4%) of all energy-related applications during the 2020–2022 period, followed by wind energy (19.4%), fuel cell technology (13.2%), hydro energy (11.4%) and geothermal energy (1.5%). Patent applications related to solar and wind energy exhibited an upward trend between 2007 and 2022. For example, compared to 2007, filings for solar and wind energy in 2022 were 2.1 times and 3.2 times higher, respectively. In contrast, filings for fuel cell technology halved over the same period.
China had the largest share of the world total in four of these five fields, ranging from 39.9% for hydro energy to 54.9% for solar energy, while Japan had the largest share for fuel cell technology (32.1%).
India granted 149.4% more patents in 2023 than in 2022
Offices carry out a formal and substantive examination before deciding whether to issue a patent. The procedure for granting a patent varies between offices. Differences between offices in the number of patents granted depends on factors such as examination capacity and procedural delays. For this reason, application data for a given year should not be compared with grant data from the same year.
In 2023, an estimated 2 million patents were granted worldwide, representing a 10.1% increase from 2022 (figure 1.7), marking the fastest growth rate since 2012. This strong growth rate was driven by a substantial increase in the number of patents issued by the IP offices of China, the EPO and India. China issued 122,450 additional patents in 2023 compared to 2022, the EPO 23,523 additional patents and India 45,563.
Since 2015, the IP office of China has issued the highest number of patents, surpassing the US. In 2023, China issued 920,797 patents, almost three times the 315,245 patents issued by the US, which ranked second. China and the US were followed by Japan (209,368), the Republic of Korea (134,734) and the EPO (104,609). The ranking of the top five offices has remained unaltered since 2020.
Six of the top 10 offices granted more patents in 2023 than in 2022, four of which reported double-digit growth. India (+149.4%) reported the fastest growth rate, followed by Canada (+51.7%), the EPO (+29%) and China (+15.3%). China recorded its fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, while the EPO and the offices of Canada and India returned to growth following a decline the previous year. A marked increase in patents granted to non-resident applicants drove overall growth in Canada and India. In the EPO's case, both resident and non-resident grants contributed to total growth. China’s overall growth is attributable to a sharp increase in resident grants. Among the four offices that issued fewer patents in 2023, Brazil saw a significant decline for a second consecutive year, patent grants decreasing by 12.4% in 2022 and 22.3% in 2023, primarily due to a reduction in both resident and non-resident grants.
Looking beyond the top 10 offices, the offices of Thailand (+101.2%), Costa Rica (+53.8%) and the EAPO (+36.9%) recorded substantial growth in 2023, primarily attributable to a strong rise in non-resident grants.
Asia’s share of worldwide patent grants stood at 69.7% in 2023, marking a significant increase of 13.6 percentage points above its global share a decade earlier in 2013. This reflects the fact that three of the top five patent issuing authorities – China, Japan and the Republic of Korea – are located within the region, with China alone accounting for 45.9% of the world total. Offices located in Northern America accounted for 17.1% of patent grants worldwide in 2023, while those in Europe contributed 9.9% to the global total. The combined share for Africa, LAC, and Oceania amounted to 3.3%. The distribution of patent applications and patent grants for all six regions exhibit a similar order of magnitude.
Patents in force in China have increased tenfold over the past 15 years, from under half a million in 2009 to 5 million in 2023
Patent rights generally last for up to 20 years from the date an application is filed. An estimated 18.6 million patents were in force across 140 jurisdictions in 2023. This represents a 7.6% increase on 2022, and the fastest growth rate seen over the past 15 years. The strong growth in 2023 was driven mainly by China and the US, which respectively had an additional 778,400 and 112,000 patents in force in 2023 compared to the previous year.
In 2023, China (5 million) had the highest number of patents in force, followed by the US (3.5 million), Japan (2.1 million), the Republic of Korea (1.3 million) and Germany (928,106) (figure 1.8). Among top five jurisdictions, China saw the fastest growth in patents in force in 2023 (+18.5%), followed by the Republic of Korea (+4.7%) and the US (+3.4%). China has recorded double-digit growth every year for the past 15 years, while the fastest growth rate recorded by the US was 8% in 2017. Beyond the top five offices, India recorded a fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth, patents in force increasing from 76,556 in 2019 to 188,785 in 2023.
The source of patents in force within the top 10 jurisdictions differs considerably. At least three-quarters of all patents in force in France (76.1%), Germany (74%), Switzerland (88.6%) and the UK (91.9%) originated from non-resident applicants. In contrast, more than four-fifths of all patents in force in China and Japan are granted to resident applicants. This trend is somewhat to be expected owing to the high share of resident patent grants at the IP offices of China and Japan. Beyond the top 10 offices, non-resident patent holders contributed more than 80% of all patents in force at most offices. However, there are few exceptions – such as Kazakhstan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq – where resident applicants are the main source of patents in force.
A holder must pay a maintenance/renewal fee in order for a patent to remain valid, and may opt to let a patent lapse before the end of its full term. Among the 89 offices that provided in-force data categorized by year of filing, approximately 36.2% of granted patents remained in force for at least 10 years after the filing date. Additionally, about 17.5% of patents lasted the full 20-year term.
Although patents can be maintained for up to 20 years, the average age of patents varies across offices. Among the selected 20 offices reported in World IP Indicators 2024 (see figure A45), the average age of patents in force in 2023 ranged from 11.5 years in Brazil down to 6 years in Norway. Patents in force in Canada (10.8 years), the Czech Republic (10.8 years), Germany (11.2 years) and Türkiye (10.7 years) shared a similarly high average age with those in Brazil. When comparing the average age of patents across the 20 offices reported in 2023 to those in 2018, an overall similarity is observed, with the exception of the offices in Brazil and India, which saw a decrease in the average age of 2.9 years and 2.6 years, respectively, over this period.
The IP office of India granted a patent to approximately 80% of applications processed in 2023
A patent office examines applications and decides whether to grant patent rights. Examination processes differ across offices, which makes cross-country comparison difficult. Every effort has, however, been made to compile examination outcome data based on common definitions and concepts. In 2023, 92 IP offices shared data on patent examination outcomes – granted, rejected or withdrawn – with WIPO.
Among top 10 offices, the US is the only one to have granted patents for less than half of all applications processed in 2023 (figure 1.9).
The UK saw its backlog of pending applications grow substantially in 2023, while the US patent office had the highest overall number of pending applications
Patent offices must assess whether the claims presented in an application meet the standards of novelty, non-obviousness and industrial applicability defined in national law. Processing patents therefore consumes time and resources. The estimated total number of potential applications pending worldwide rose to 4.6 million in 2023, representing a 3.7% increase on the previous year. This estimate is based on data collected from 110 offices, but excludes China, for which 2023 data are unavailable.
In 2023, the US had around 1.2 million pending patent applications, followed by Japan (794,036), the EPO (670,386), Germany (370,311) and the Republic of Korea (366,478). China’s 2023 pending data are unavailable. Among top 20 offices, the UK (+9.2%) saw the fastest growth rate in pending applications between 2022 and 2023, followed by Israel (+8.3%), New Zealand (+7.9%) and India (+7.3%). Conversely, the Russian Federation (–13.8%) managed to substantially reduce its stock of applications pending over the same period.
Where offices have a large proportion of applications pending a request for examination, the scope to reduce the stock of applications pending is somewhat limited, as an office is unable to start the substantive examination process until an applicant has filed a request for examination. For example, around 80% of total pending applications in the Republic of Korea are awaiting a request for substantive examination.
Applications pending is defined as all patent applications, at any stage in the process, awaiting a final decision by a patent office, including those applications for which applicants have not filed a request for examination (where applicable).
Women inventors accounted for no more than 17.7% of all inventors listed in published PCT applications in 2023
In 2023, women constituted 17.7% of all inventors listed in published PCT applications, while men accounted for the remaining 82.3%. The proportion of women inventors has increased notably from 10.9% in 2009 to 17.7% in 2023. Moreover, the proportion of women inventors has expanded in every region of the world over the past decade.
About 36.2% of published PCT applications named at least one woman as inventor in 2023, and 95.9% featured at least one man as inventor. The share of published PCT applications with at least one woman as inventor has risen from 21.4% in 2009 to 36.2% in 2023, whereas the share of those with at least one man as inventor has decreased over the same period from 97.6% down to 95.9%. Despite the upward trend over the past decade, the share of PCT applications with at least one woman as an inventor is considerably lower than the share of PCT applications with at least one man as an inventor.
The gender gap among PCT inventors varies considerably between countries. Among top 20 origins of published PCT applications, China, Spain and Türkiye had the largest proportion of women inventors in 2023. They were the only three origins within the top 20 where one-fifth of inventors were women. In contrast, for India, Germany and Japan only around one in 10 inventors named in published PCT applications were women.
Fields of technology related to the life sciences had comparatively high shares of published PCT applications with women as inventors in 2023. Women represented more than 30% of inventors named in published PCT applications in the fields of food chemistry (32.4%) and biotechnology (31%). The share of published PCT applications with women inventors was higher in 30 of the 35 technology fields in 2023 compared to 2022, with basic communication processes, food chemistry, and micro-structure and nano-technology showing the biggest increases.
Utility model applications worldwide increased by 3.9% to reach 3.1 million applications in 2023
A utility model (UM) is a special form of patent right granted by a state or jurisdiction to an inventor or the inventor’s assignee for a fixed period of time. The terms and conditions for granting a UM differ slightly from those for normal patents, including a shorter term of protection and less stringent eligibility requirements.
Filing activity for UMs increased by 3.9% in 2023, representing a second consecutive year of strong growth. The total number of UM applications filed worldwide amounted to 3.13 million, of which resident applications constituted 99.5% of the total, with non-resident applications making up the remaining 0.5%. Filings worldwide have tripled over the past decade, from 0.98 million applications in 2013 to 3.13 million in 2023. China, which accounted for around 98% of the global total in 2023, has been the main driver of the growth in UM applications over the past decade.
Applicants residing in China filed over 3 million applications in 2023, followed by those in the Russian Federation (9,694), Germany (6,280), Indonesia (4,368) and Japan (4,319). Among top 10 origins, the Russian Federation (+14.6%), Spain (+10.3%), Thailand (+13.7%) and Ukraine (+46.2%) recorded double-digit growth in 2023 compared to 2022. In contrast, applicants residing in Türkiye filed almost 40% fewer applications in 2023 compared to the year before.
Comparison of UM and patent filings by the top 10 origins show that high-income countries such as Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Spain filed considerably fewer UM applications than patent applications in 2023. For example, Germany filed 6,280 UM applications and 133,053 patent applications. In contrast, the volume of UM filings made by middle-income countries, such as China, Indonesia, Thailand and Ukraine, is double that of patent filings. For example, China filed 3.1 million UM applications compared to 1.6 million patent applications in 2023 .