IP5 Statistics Report 2023

At the end of 2022, 91% of the 17.2 million patents that were in force worldwide were valid in one of the five largest IP Offices (IP5) jurisdictions, according to the latest IP5 Statistics Report published this week on the IP5 website. This clearly demonstrates the prominent role that is played by the IP5 Offices.

The report is an annual compilation of patent statistics published by the European Patent Office (EPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO), Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Worldwide patenting activity until 2022

• In 2022, 3.5 million patent applications were filed worldwide, either as direct national, direct regional or international phase PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) applications, of which 93% originated from the IP5 regions.
• In 2022, 77% of worldwide patent applications were filed as direct national applications. The proportion of applications filed via the PCT increased by one percentage point year-to-year.

IP5 Offices patenting activities in 2023

• In 2023, 3.0 million patent applications were filed at the IP5 Offices. Together the IP5 Offices granted over 1.7 million patents in 2023.
• At the EPO, the demand for patents grew in 2023. The EPO received about 199 275 European patent applications last year, which was 2.9% above the 2022 figure.

2023 was a notable year for the EPO and marked the 50th anniversary of the European Patent Convention (EPC). The Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court (UPC) were launched in June. The EPO introduced the Observatory on Patents and Technology, the Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF) designed to be integrated into university curricula and launched a new EPO website. The EPO has made significant strides in enhancing environmental sustainability. It renewed its focus on patent quality and continued to ramp up its environmental, organisational, financial and societal impact initiatives to maximise its positive impact on society.

The IP5 Statistics Report 2023 includes developments at the five offices, detailed presentations of similarities and differences in their patent grant procedures, as well as comprehensive worldwide data from WIPO and patent offices around the globe. This year, readers are also kindly invited to contribute their input via a reader survey aimed at better adjusting this document to the needs of the audience – see link below.

The IP5 Offices have been co-operating since 2007 to improve the efficiency and quality of the global patent system by delivering joint products and services.

The EPO will publish its 2024 statistics (Patent Index 2024) in March 2025.