The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has officially published the PCT Yearly Review 2026: The International Patent System. This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of operational data from the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system for 2025, covering key dimensions such as international filing trends, receiving office performance, origin of applicants, applicant profiles, technology field distribution, female inventor participation, and national phase entry. Through this “innovation scorecard,” one can clearly observe the structural shifts and sustained momentum in global innovative activity.
I. Overall Trends: Consecutive Recovery, Stabilising Growth
In 2025, the total number of international patent applications filed via the PCT system reached approximately 275,900, representing a year‑on‑year increase of 0.7% over 2024. This marks the second consecutive year of growth after the downturn reversed in 2023. However, looking at a longer timeline, the average annual growth rate from 2020 to 2025 was only 0.1%, indicating that global international patent filings have entered a low‑growth but stable trajectory.
II. Receiving Office Rankings: China Tops the List
At the receiving office level, the top five offices were: China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) with 78,648 applications, ranking first; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with 49,032; Japan Patent Office (JPO) with 46,409; European Patent Office (EPO) with 39,332; and Korean Intellectual Property Office (MOIP) with 24,950. The top 20 receiving offices together accounted for nearly 99% of all PCT applications worldwide, reflecting an extremely high concentration. Among the top five, China and Korea maintained the strongest growth momentum, further consolidating their central roles in the global patent filing system.
III. Origin of Applicants: Asia Accounts for Nearly 60%, Top Five Are China, U.S., Japan, Korea, Germany
By applicant origin, PCT applications in 2025 were also highly concentrated. The top five countries of origin – China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Germany – together contributed 78.2% of the global total. In terms of specific numbers: China led with 73,718 applications, followed by the United States with 52,617, Japan with 47,922, the Republic of Korea with 25,016, and Germany with 16,441.
Regionally, Asia dominated with a 57% global share, rising by more than 13 percentage points from 43.5% in 2015, underscoring Asia’s continued rise in innovative strength. Europe accounted for 21.6%, North America for 20%, while Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Oceania together represented only 1.4%, highlighting persistent regional imbalances in innovative output.
In terms of growth rates, half of the top 20 countries of origin recorded positive growth. Finland (+43.8%) and Singapore (+12.9%) posted notable double‑digit increases, while India (-32.4%), Israel (-7%), and Switzerland (-6.3%) saw significant declines. Among the top five, China (+5.3%) and Korea (+4.9%) stood out with robust growth, whereas the United States (-3%), Germany (-1.8%), and Japan (-1%) recorded their third consecutive year of decline, reflecting a shifting balance between traditional innovation powerhouses and emerging players.
Among middle‑income economies, PCT filings from countries such as Brazil, Iran, Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand ranged between 160 and 620 applications. Notable growth was seen in Albania (+1,466.7%), Peru (+61.3%), South Africa (+20.5%), Mexico (+16.9%), and Malaysia (+10.2%). Low‑income countries filed a total of 18 PCT applications, with Uganda (7), North Korea (6), and Syria (3) leading the group – though from a very small base, this indicates the further expansion of PCT system coverage.
IV. Applicants: Enterprises Dominant, Huawei Claims Ninth Consecutive Crown
In 2025, the WIPO International Bureau published nearly 265,200 PCT applications. By applicant type, enterprises accounted for a dominant 89.6%, followed by universities at 5.3%, individuals at 3.5%, and government and public research organisations (PROs) at 1.6%.
Among corporate applicants, Huawei Technologies ranked first globally for the ninth consecutive year with 7,523 published applications, demonstrating strong technological innovation capabilities. It was followed by Samsung Electronics (4,698), Qualcomm (3,227), LG Electronics (2,400), and CATL (2,203). Half of the top ten applicants recorded double‑digit growth, with LG Energy Solution (+34.8%), Panasonic (+21.9%), and LG Electronics (+15.2%) leading the pack, reflecting vibrant innovation in new energy and consumer electronics.
In the university sector, University of California continued to lead globally with 488 applications, while Tsinghua University rose to second place with 227. The top 50 universities came from nine countries, with the United States accounting for 24, China and Korea each having 7, reflecting the rapid catch‑up of East Asian institutions in higher education research output. Among government and PROs, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences ranked first with 342 applications, followed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Society with 233.
V. Technology Fields: Electrical Engineering Exceeds 40%, Digital Communication Tops
By technology field, applications related to electrical engineering made up 41.1% of all PCT filings in 2025, a marked increase from 35% in 2015, reflecting the profound impact of digitalisation and electrification on global innovation. This was followed by chemistry (22%), mechanical engineering (15.9%), and instruments (15.1%).
At the sub‑field level, the top five technology areas together accounted for 40.3% of the global total: digital communication (11.1%), computer technology (9.6%), electrical machinery (9.0%), medical technology (6.3%), and pharmaceuticals (4.3%). In terms of growth, digital communication (+6.1%), semiconductors (+6.1%), and electrical machinery (+4.6%) saw the largest increases, reflecting rapid iteration in AI, 5G, and new energy technologies, while measurement (-4.2%), biotechnology (-3.9%), and medical technology (-3%) experienced varying degrees of decline.
VI. Female Inventors: Share Steadily Rising, Latin America Leads
In 2025, the share of female inventors among all named inventors in PCT applications reached 18.1%, up 0.2 percentage points from 2024. Over the past 15 years, this proportion has increased by a cumulative 6.7 percentage points, indicating continued progress in gender equality in global innovation.
By region, Latin America and the Caribbean led with 24.5% female inventor share, followed by Asia (18.8%), North America (18.2%), Africa (18.1%), Oceania (16.7%), and Europe (16.3%). At the country level, Spain (28.7%), Turkey (25.3%), and China (24.1%) ranked among the top three. In terms of technology fields, life‑science‑related areas showed higher female participation – fields such as analysis of biological materials, biotechnology, food chemistry, organic fine chemistry, and pharmaceuticals all had female inventor shares exceeding one‑quarter, suggesting stronger appeal of these areas to female researchers.
VII. Innovation Clusters: Tokyo‑Yokohama Leads, Chinese Cities Shine
Looking at the geographical distribution of PCT applications from 2021 to 2025, the top 50 clusters together accounted for 63% of the global total. The top five clusters were: Tokyo‑Yokohama (132,669 applications, 10.1% of global share), Shenzhen‑Hong Kong‑Guangzhou (9.2%), Seoul (5.6%), Beijing (4.1%), and San Jose‑San Francisco (3.8%). Notably, Paris was the highest‑ranked European cluster, placing 10th globally. Among Chinese cities, Ningde jumped 10 places to 21st, while Chengdu, Montreal, and Helsinki also saw significant rises in ranking, highlighting the rapid growth of emerging Chinese innovation cities.
By technology field, computer technology and digital communication were both among the top three in the six leading clusters. Seattle (43.5%), Hangzhou (27.7%), and San Jose‑San Francisco (23%) were dominated by computer technology, while digital communication accounted for a high share in Beijing (32.5%) and Shenzhen‑Hong Kong‑Guangzhou (27.4%), reflecting the differentiated strengths of clusters in various digital economy sub‑sectors.
VIII. National Phase Entry: Slight Decline in 2024
The report also updated the latest data on PCT national phase entry (2024). In 2024, the global volume of national phase entries was approximately 645,100, down 3.7% from the previous year. Meanwhile, PCT national phase entries accounted for 53.3% of global non‑resident patent applications, a decrease of 2.3 percentage points compared to 2023. This change may reflect a phased adjustment in the international filing strategies of some enterprises, but the PCT remains a core channel for cross‑border patent protection.
Concluding Remarks
Taken together, the PCT Yearly Review 2026 conveys several clear signals: global innovation output is still expanding moderately, but growth momentum has distinctly shifted toward Asia, particularly China and the Republic of Korea; high‑tech fields such as digital communication, electrical engineering, and semiconductors have become the most active innovation arenas; and female inventor participation continues to rise, enhancing the inclusiveness of the innovation ecosystem. As a “barometer” of global innovative activity, the evolving data from the PCT system not only provides important references for national policy‑making and industrial planning but also consistently reveals the trends and directions of future technological competition.
Source: https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4856&plang=EN
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