Global patent filings reach record high driven by surge in applications from India

According to a report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), India saw a 15.7 percent increase in patent filings, reaching 64,480 applications in 2023.

This growth was "primarily driven by a strong increase in resident filings supported by India’s fast-growing economy," the report stated.

Global patent applications surpassed 3.5 million for the first time, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth.

The report revealed a 2.7 percent increase in global patents, up from 3.46 million applications in 2022.

China led the world with 1.64 million applications, followed by the United States with 518,364, and Japan with 414,413.

South Korea ranked fourth with 287,954 applications, while Germany secured fifth place with 133,053 filings, according to WIPO’s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report.

For the first time, India joined the top ten countries in all three major intellectual property (IP) rights covered in the WIPI.

Between 2018 and 2023, both patent and industrial design applications more than doubled, while trademark applications rose by 60 percent.

WIPO Director General Daren Tang commented, "Demand for IP rights is growing even in the face of an uncertain economic environment. In addition, this demand is increasingly indigenous."

"For example, the growth in patent filings has been driven by residents inside the countries themselves rather than from foreign innovators. With volume growing, the challenge still remains quality and the ability to translate IP filings into actual products and services," Tang added.