Welcome to the Patent Index 2022


Teaser Image

2022: Innovation stays strong

Patent filings at the EPO were up 2.5%, with digital and clean energy technologies the main drivers of growth. While digital communication continued to boom, as did biotechnology, innovation in batteries and semiconductors surged. Filings from P.R. China and the US saw the greatest absolute growth.

Play video

Insights 2022

Slider image - Expert analysis: patenting trends in 2022

Expert analysis: patenting trends in 2022

Slider image - New energy landscapes

Insight into new energy landscapes


Record demand for European patents

In 2022, the EPO received 193 460 applications. The race for sustainable innovation accelerated as the need to tackle climate change and transition to cleaner and more secure energy systems intensified. Digital transformation and the pursuit of greater connectivity also drove growth in electrical engineering, where filings now account for almost a third of all patent applications to the EPO. The growing share of applications originating from outside Europe highlights the attractiveness of the European technology market for companies all around the world.

See more details

Top applicants

Huawei was the leading patent applicant at the EPO for the fourth time since 2017, followed by LG, Qualcomm, Samsung and Ericsson. The top ten includes four companies from Europe, two from South Korea, two from the US, and one each from China and Japan. Meanwhile, one in five patent applications from Europe was filed by an individual inventor or small- to medium-sized enterprise. The share of filings from European universities and public research organisations increased slightly to 7%.

See more details

Top technology fields

Seven of the top ten most patent-active fields saw growth. Electrical machinery, apparatus and energy (+18.2%), a field that includes clean energy inventions and battery technology, grew fastest. The top technology field of digital communication (+11.2%) continued to boom, as did biotechnology (+11.0%). Filings remained robust in medical technology (+1.0%), computer technology (+1.8%) and pharmaceuticals (+1.0%), which squeezed past transport (-2.6%) to break into the top five fields for the first time in a decade. The combined number of filings in the top ten fields accounted for 57% of all European patent applications in 2022.

+
0
0
.
0
%
Digital communication
+
0
.
0
%
Medical technology
+
0
.
0
%
Computer technology
See more details

Geographic origin of applications

Filings from European applicants remained at the same level as 2021 (+0.1%), though their share of the total shrunk a percentage point to 43.4%. The share of filings from German applicants (12.8%) was down on last year, but significant increases were seen from Ireland (+12.3%), Switzerland (+5.9%), Belgium (+5.0%) and the Netherlands (+3.5%). Overall, the top five countries of origin for applications in 2022 were again the United States (+2.9%), which accounts for a quarter of all applications, followed by Germany (-4.7%), Japan (-0.4%), China (+15.1%) and France (+1.9%). Switzerland remained the country with the most patent applications per capita.

See more details

More statistics for download

Data on the last 10 years and country specific profiles.

Teaser Image Footer

EPO at a glance

As the Patent Office for Europe, we support innovation, competitiveness and economic growth across Europe through a commitment to high quality and efficient services delivered under the European Patent Convention.

Quick Navigation