Geneva, March 2025 — The World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) PCT Yearly Review 2025 reveals that approximately 273,900 international patent applications were filed via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2024, representing a marginal increase of 0.5% over the previous year. The modest growth masks significant shifts in the technology landscape, with digital communication dethroning computer technology as the leading field of PCT activity for the first time since 2019.
The report, published by WIPO in 2025, provides comprehensive facts, figures, and analysis of the international patent system, covering both the international phase (PCT applications) and the national phase (where applicants seek patent protection in individual countries).
Key Numbers at a Glance
| Metric | 2024 Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| PCT applications filed | 273,900 | +0.5% |
| PCT national phase entries | 698,500 (2023 data) | –0.4% |
| Women inventors share | 18% | +0.2 pp |
| PCT member countries | 158 | — |
| Countries of origin | 124 | –3 |
| Receiving offices | 81 | — |
Top Origins: Asia's Dominance Continues
Applicants residing in China filed the highest number of PCT applications in 2024 with 70,160 filings, followed by the United States (54,087), Japan (48,397), the Republic of Korea (23,851), and Germany (16,721). The top five origins accounted for 77.8% of all PCT applications.
Asian countries represented 56.3% of all PCT applications in 2024 — a significant rise from 40.6% in 2014, largely attributable to increased filings from China and the Republic of Korea. Europe held the second-largest share at 21.7%, closely followed by Northern America at 20.6%. Combined, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania accounted for just 1.3% of total PCT filings.
Technology Shift: Digital Communication Takes the Lead
In 2024, digital communication became the leading field in PCT applications, representing 10.5% of the total. This field surpassed computer technology (9.7%), which had held the top spot since 2019. The top five technology fields were:
- Digital communication — 10.5% (+9.9% growth)
- Computer technology — 9.7% (–6.0% decline)
- Electrical machinery — 8.6% (+8.0% growth)
- Medical technology — 6.5%
- Measurements — 4.4%
The electrical engineering sector accounted for over 40% of all published PCT applications, followed by chemistry (21.8%), mechanical engineering (16.3%), and instruments (15.7%). Over the past decade, electrical engineering has experienced the largest share increase, rising from 35.2% in 2014 to 40.4% in 2024.
Only four of the top 10 technology fields grew in 2024, with digital communication (+9.9%) and electrical machinery (+8%) reporting the fastest growth. In contrast, computer technology (–6%), pharmaceuticals (–5.6%), and semiconductors (–4.7%) experienced the steepest declines.
Top Applicants: Huawei Leads for Eighth Year
For the eighth consecutive year, Huawei Technologies of China was the top PCT applicant, with 6,600 published PCT applications in 2024. Samsung Electronics of the Republic of Korea followed in second place with 4,640 applications, trailed by Qualcomm of the United States, LG Electronics of the Republic of Korea, and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) of China.
| Rank | Applicant | Country | Applications | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huawei Technologies | China | 6,600 | — |
| 2 | Samsung Electronics | Rep. of Korea | 4,640 | +18.2% |
| 3 | Qualcomm | USA | — | +12.8% |
| 4 | LG Electronics | Rep. of Korea | — | — |
| 5 | CATL | China | — | — |
Half of the top 10 applicants experienced double-digit growth in published applications, with Samsung Electronics (+18.2%), Xiaomi Mobile Software (+17.8%), and Qualcomm (+12.8%) exhibiting the fastest growth. Six of the top 10 applicants filed mainly in digital communication.
Universities and Public Research
Among educational institutions, the University of California remained the largest user of the PCT System in 2024 with 519 published applications. The University of Texas came second (216 applications), followed by Tsinghua University (188). Fifty-two universities from eight countries featured in the top 50, with the US and China having 23 and 12 universities respectively.
In the government and public research organisation (PRO) sector, the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of China remained the top applicant with 631 published applications, followed by Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (254 applications), France's CEA, INSERM, and Singapore's A*STAR.
Women in Patenting: Slow but Steady Progress
Women accounted for 18% of all inventors listed in PCT applications in 2024, an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to 2023. Since 2010, the share of women inventors has risen nearly continuously, gaining 6.4 percentage points over 14 years.
The Latin America and Caribbean region had the largest proportion of women among PCT inventors at 24.9%, followed by Asia (18.8%), Northern America (17.8%), Oceania (17.5%), Europe (15.9%), and Africa (14.5%). Among the top 20 origins, Türkiye (26%) and China (24.2%) had the largest proportion of women inventors.
Technology fields relating to the life sciences had comparatively high shares of women inventors. Women represented more than one-quarter of inventors in analysis of biological materials, biotechnology, food chemistry, organic fine chemistry, and pharmaceuticals.
Geographic Clusters
The top 50 PCT geographical clusters accounted for 62.4% of PCT applications published between 2020 and 2024. Tokyo–Yokohama remained the largest cluster, with 135,129 PCT applications (10.3% of the total), followed by Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou (9%), Seoul (5.4%), San Jose–San Francisco (3.9%), and Beijing (3.8%). Paris was the highest-ranked European cluster, at 11th position globally.
The PCT Route vs. the Paris Route
In 2023, the PCT route was used for 57.4% of non-resident patent applications worldwide, with 591,100 non-resident national phase entries initiated. Between 2009 and 2023, the PCT route maintained an average annual growth rate of 3.4%, compared to 2.1% for the Paris route (direct filing with foreign offices). This trend underscores the PCT system's growing role as the preferred mechanism for seeking international patent protection.
Language Trends
PCT applications published in English made up 43.4% of the total in 2024, followed by Chinese at 23.3% and Japanese at 17.4%. Over the past 15 years, the proportion of applications published in Chinese has increased sharply — from 5% in 2010 to 23.3% in 2024 — while English has declined from 58.3% to 43.4% during the same period, reflecting the growing volume of patenting activity originating in China.
Sources:
- WIPO, PCT Yearly Review 2025: Executive Summary, wipo.int
- WIPO, PCT Yearly Review 2025: The International Patent System (full report), wipo.int
- WIPO Publications, Patent Cooperation Treaty series, wipo.int/publications
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Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
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