In 2025, the global number of international patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) increased by 0.7%, reaching 275,900, marking a second consecutive year of growth. Among them, digital communications remained the category with the highest proportion (11.1%) among published PCT applications, while semiconductors emerged as one of the fastest-growing fields among the primary areas of international patenting.

China ranked first with 73,718 applications, up 5.3%. It was followed by the United States (52,617 applications), Japan (47,922 applications), South Korea (25,016 applications), and Germany (16,441 applications). Huawei ranked first among all applicants with 7,523 published applications, maintaining the leading position it has held since 2017.

In 2025, the total number of international trademark applications filed through the WIPO Madrid System decreased by 1.5% to 64,150. The United States led with 10,997 applications, followed by Germany (6,106), China (5,636), France (4,026), and the United Kingdom (3,871).

In 2025, the number of applications filed under the WIPO Hague System for the International Protection of Industrial Designs increased by 9.4%, with the number of designs included in the applications rising by 5.2% to a record high of 28,588. In 2025, China ranked first among applicants with 5,911 design applications, marking an increase of 21.4%. It was followed by Germany (4,530 applications), the United States (3,882 applications), Switzerland (2,285 applications), and Italy (2,015 applications).

(Source: WIPO China)