China Dominates Global Patent Filings in 2024, WIPO Report Confirms

China Leads Global Innovation Landscape

Beijing, China – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has released its annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report for 2024, confirming that China maintained its position as the global leader in patent filings. The nation submitted an impressive 1.8 million patent applications, representing nearly half of all worldwide filings. This figure significantly surpasses the United States and underscores China's accelerating innovation drive.

Unprecedented Growth and Global Share

In 2024, global patent filings reached a record high of 3.7 million applications, marking a 4.9% increase from the previous year and the fifth consecutive year of growth. China's contribution was particularly notable, with its filings growing by 9.3% year-on-year, the fastest rate since 2018. This surge elevated China's share of the global total to 49.1%, a substantial rise from 34.6% in 2014. In contrast, the United States recorded 501,831 filings, placing it second globally, followed by Japan with 419,132.

Broader Intellectual Property Leadership

China's dominance extended beyond patents to other key intellectual property categories. The country also ranked first globally in:

• Utility model filings, accounting for an overwhelming 97.8% of the global share.
• Industrial design applications, representing 58.2% of worldwide activity.
• Trademark filings, with China taking 47.9% of the global share.

Furthermore, China remained the top source for Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications in 2024, submitting 70,160 applications. Among individual entities, Huawei Technologies was identified as the leading PCT filer globally.

Driving Factors and Technological Focus

Experts attribute China's sustained leadership in patent filings to several factors, including 'sustained national innovation strategies, optimized innovation ecosystems, and accelerated industrial upgrading.' The WIPO report also highlighted that computer technology emerged as the most frequently featured technology in published patent applications worldwide, underscoring a key area of global innovation.

The significant increase in patent grants further illustrates this trend, with China issuing over 1 million patents in 2024, compared to 319,815 by the United States. This robust activity solidifies China's position at the forefront of global intellectual property development.