The Global Innovation Map in 2025: Who Is Patenting What?

In March 2026, WIPO published the consolidated Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) figures for 2025 — and the data tells a clear story about where the world is directing its innovation efforts. There were 275,900 international patent applications, a growth of 0.7% over 2024, marking the second consecutive year of increase.

But behind this aggregate number, tectonic shifts are underway: Asia consolidating its leadership, digital technologies dominating the global innovation portfolio, and an eloquent silence about Brazilian participation.

The Ranking: China in the Lead, Traditional Powers in Retreat

The most impressive data point in the report is the continued Chinese advance. With 73,718 applications, China grew by 5.3% and accounts for more than a quarter of all PCT applications worldwide. The United States, with 52,617 applications, fell by 3.0% — its fourth consecutive year of decline. Japan (47,922, −1.0%) and Germany (16,441, −1.8%) also recorded contractions, both for the third year in a row.

Country	PCT Applications 2025	Variation vs 2024
China	73.718	+5,3%
USA	52.617	−3,0%
Japan	47.922	−1,0%
South Korea	25.016	+4,9%
Germany	16.441	−1,8%

South Korea deserves a separate mention: with 25,016 applications and 4.9% growth, the country extended its uninterrupted growth trajectory for 28 years. While mature economies fluctuate, Korea continues to expand its IP portfolio with almost mechanical consistency.

What’s Being Patented: Digital Communication and Semiconductors

The distribution by technological field confirms the centrality of the ICT sector. Digital communication leads with 11.1% of all published applications, followed by computer technology (9.6%), electrical machinery (9.0%), medical technology (6.3%), and pharmaceuticals (4.3%). Together, these five areas represent just over 40% of the total.

The most significant growth, however, came from two fronts: digital communication and semiconductors, both up by 6.1%. The semiconductor data is particularly revealing at a time of global supply chain reconfiguration and massive investments in chip manufacturing in the USA, Europe, and Asia.

WIPO Director-General Daren Tang’s statement connects the dots: “AI is the latest engine of this growth and will increasingly transform how we innovate.” Artificial intelligence is not just another field of patenting — it is becoming the infrastructure that accelerates innovation in all other sectors.

Huawei and the Corporate Dominance of Innovation

Among companies, Huawei Technologies maintained absolute leadership with 7,523 published applications, a position it has held since 2017. Samsung Electronics (4,698), Qualcomm (3,227), LG Electronics (2,400), and Contemporary Amperex Technology (2,203) complete the top 5.

A revealing fact: 16 of the 20 largest applicants are ICT companies. The four exceptions — Contemporary Amperex Technology, LG Energy Solution, Mitsubishi Electric, and Bosch — operate in energy, industry, and automotive sectors. Global innovation is increasingly concentrated in digital technology companies.

Outside the top 10, the entry of India’s Jio Platforms with an impressive +971 additional applications compared to the previous year signals that India is emerging as a relevant player in the PCT system. Nokia Technologies (+470), NTT Docomo (+459), and Beijing Zitiao Network Technologies (+373) also moved up positions.

Where is Brazil?

This is the point that most interests those who follow Brazilian innovation policy. Brazil does not appear among the top 5 PCT applicants, nor is it even mentioned in WIPO’s press report — which, in itself, is a relevant fact.

Estimates from previous years place Brazil in the range of 500 to 600 PCT applications per year, which would put it around the 18th-20th global position — behind not only Asian and Western giants, but also countries like India, Singapore, Russia, Australia, and even Israel and Finland. For comparison, China alone files the equivalent of more than 100 times the Brazilian volume.

This gap is not just a number. It reflects:

Low business R&D intensity — Brazilian companies invest proportionally less in research than their global competitors
Sectoral concentration — the Brazilian patent agenda is heavily concentrated in oil and gas (Petrobras), mining (Vale), and agribusiness (Embrapa), sectors with lower PCT patent density
Low internationalization — the PCT system is the main vehicle for protecting inventions in multiple countries; low Brazilian adherence indicates that Brazilian companies innovate little for the global market

The contrast with India is instructive. Both countries had similar positions 15 years ago. While India created conditions for companies like Jio Platforms to emerge as world-class PCT applicants, Brazil remains stagnant in this indicator.

What to Expect for the Coming Years

The data trajectory suggests some consolidated trends:

Asia (China + Korea) will continue to expand its participation in the PCT system, driven by ICT companies and semiconductors
The convergence between AI and patenting is expected to accelerate — not just as a field of patenting (AI patents), but as a tool to accelerate the production of patentable innovation itself
Countries like India and Finland are expected to continue gaining ground, while mature economies fluctuate

For Brazil, the question remains: what will be necessary for the country to break free from the inertia of 500 annual PCT applications? The New Brazil Industry (NIB) foresees innovation targets, and INPI has been advancing in digitalization and backlog reduction. But the translation of these policies into international patents — which is where Brazilian innovation is measured on the global stage — has not yet appeared in the numbers. What tool — or set of tools — can be used to change this trajectory?