Monday IPDate March 30, 2026

International Patent Applications Rose in 2025, with Digital Communication and Semiconductor Technologies Showing Strong Growth

International patent applications filed through WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) rose 0.7% in 2025 to reach 275,900 filings worldwide, marking a second consecutive year of growth. The increase was partly due to robust activity in ICT related fields, with digital communication remaining as the top category (11.1%) of published PCT applications, while semiconductors recorded one of the fastest growth rates among all leading areas of international patents.

> International Patent Applications Rose in 2025, with Digital Communication and Semiconductor Technologies Showing Strong Growth

Demand for European patents in 2025 exceeded 200,000 for first time

A record number of patent applications (201,974) were filed at the EPO in 2025, an increase of 1.4% on the previous year. Applications from Europe, including all 39 EPO member states, rose by 0.4% (EU27: +0.7%), while those from outside Europe were up 2.1%. The EPO Technology Dashboard (formerly Patent Index) shows strong growth in demand for patents for digital and energy technologies. The US and Germany remain top countries of origin, while China enters top three for first time.

> Demand for European patents in 2025 exceeded 200,000 for first time