According to the latest data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the number of global patent applications in 2024 reached approximately 3.725 million, a 4.9% increase from the previous year and the highest on record. China led with about 1.8 million filings, followed by the United States with around 500,000 and Japan with roughly 420,000. The numbers clearly illustrate where the center of technological development currently lies.
What China’s Dominant First Place Really Means
China’s patent filings now approach nearly half of all applications worldwide. This momentum is no longer temporary; it demonstrates that long-term national strategies and large-scale technology investments are steadily bearing fruit. China’s presence is growing particularly in fields such as AI, communication technologies, and electrical machinery.
Meanwhile, although the U.S. and Japan remain major technology powers, their filing volumes trail far behind China. While simple quantitative comparison ignores the dimension of quality, the disparity highlights challenges both countries face in concentrating R&D investment and strengthening policy support.
India, Finland, and Turkey: The Fast-Rising New Wave
One of the most notable findings in this report is the sharp growth in patent filings from India, Finland, and Turkey.
- India: Filings are increasing rapidly alongside the expansion of startups and the IT sector, with AI and software-related technologies at the core.
- Finland: Strengths in communications, cleantech, and edge computing are driving growth.
- Turkey: Government-led technology policies are taking effect, expanding the national R&D infrastructure.
The rise of these countries suggests that technological industries are emerging across multiple regions, which may contribute to decentralizing future global competition.
Computer Technology: The Most Published Field
For 2023, the most recent year with complete data, computer technology topped the list of published patent applications. Fields related to AI, data processing, and networking are expanding rapidly, followed by electrical machinery technologies.
This trend underscores how digitalization is becoming the foundation of modern industries and how the boundaries between hardware and software are increasingly blurred. AI models, semiconductors, electrification technologies, and robotics are expected to remain major investment areas.
Trademark Applications Down Slightly, Designs on the Rise: The Reason Behind the Contrast
Trademark filings in 2024 fell slightly to around 15.23 million, while industrial design applications increased by 2.2%. This suggests a shift in focus: as consumer-facing markets mature and competition intensifies, businesses are prioritizing “product differentiation” over merely strengthening their brand names.
The increase in trademarks in Brazil, India, and Russia indicates a surge of new local brands, likely driven by the growing number of domestic businesses and policies oriented toward expanding internal markets.
The Global Technology Race Is Moving Toward Multipolarity
What the latest WIPO report truly reveals extends far beyond the simple rise or fall of filing numbers:
- China’s overwhelming scale
- Structural challenges faced by the U.S. and Japan
- The emergence of India, Finland, and Turkey
- Accelerated technological innovation centered on computer-related fields
- Diverging trends between trademarks and designs as industrial structures evolve
Taken together, these factors signal that the global competition for technological leadership is entering a “multipolar phase,” with influence spreading across multiple regions rather than being concentrated in a few major powers.
For companies, this means it is becoming increasingly important not only to understand trends within their own countries but also to identify which countries and regions are building robust innovation ecosystems.