China divided the world of patents in half: 49% of applications came from one country.

According to Korrespondent.net: In 2024, China became the leader in the number of patent applications, accounting for nearly 50% of all applications worldwide. This was reported by the South China Morning Post, citing data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The USA, which ranked second, lagged significantly, showing only a third of the number of Chinese applications.

Patent Application Statistics

According to WIPO, China filed 1.8 million applications, which is 9% more than last year. Meanwhile, the USA recorded only 603 thousand applications, with a growth of less than 1%. More than half of the American applications (approximately 333 thousand) came from non-residents, while about 93% of applications in China were filed by local citizens and companies. China's share of the global volume of applications increased to 49.1%, compared to 34.6% the previous year.

Global Leaders in Patent Applications

Among other leading countries in this field are Japan, South Korea, and Germany. Three of the five most active countries are located in Asia, where last year over 70% of all patent applications were filed. Significant growth was also recorded in India, Finland, and Turkey, which made it to the top twenty.

China's Leadership in Patents

China also leads in the number of registered patents: over 1 million compared to 319 thousand in the USA. In annual terms, the Chinese indicator increased by 124 thousand, while the American one increased by only 4.5 thousand.

The year 2024 became a record year for patent activity: 3.7 million applications were submitted worldwide, which is 5% more than in 2023. The number of registered patents reached 2.1 million, and the positive dynamics have been maintained for the fifth consecutive year.

Current Technologies

Computer technologies were again the most active (13.2% of all applications), followed by electrical devices, measuring systems, digital communications, and medical technologies. The structure remained unchanged compared to last year.

In addition, China became the world leader in the registration of trademarks and industrial designs, filing 7.3 million applications for brands and 825 thousand for designs - this is nine times more than in the USA. In these categories, China's share exceeded 50% of the global market.

Recall that it was previously reported that China launched the first mass production of a modular flying car.

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Thus, the results of 2024 demonstrate significant progress for China in the field of intellectual property. The growing number of patent applications indicates an increasing innovative activity of the country, which may influence global technical trends. This also emphasizes the importance of technologies in economic development and competitiveness on the world stage.