European Patent Applications Hit Record High in 2025, Driven by China & South Korea

A record 201,974 patent applications were filed with the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2025, a surge driven by increased filings from China and South Korea, the organization announced Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

This marks the first time the EPO has surpassed 200,000 applications, fueled by growth in digital technologies and those related to clean energy, according to an EPO statement relayed by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Patent applications are “an early indicator of investments in research and development,” the EPO explained.

The United States remains the top origin of patent applications, filing 47,008 in 2025. However, this figure represents a slight decrease of 1.6%, as does Germany’s, the second-largest applicant with nearly 25,000 filings, down 2.2%.

China, however, saw a 9.7% jump in applications, securing a place on the podium of European patent applicants for the first time with approximately 22,000 filings. France, the second-highest European applicant, ranks sixth trailing Japan (+1.1%) and South Korea (+9.5%).

“Applications from China have tripled since 2016, while those from the Republic of Korea have doubled over the same period,” the EPO noted, adding that its member states now account for 43% of applications, with 57% originating from non-European countries.

In terms of patent fields, computer technology led the way, boosted by patents related to artificial intelligence and, “in a still modest but rapidly expanding area,” quantum technologies. Digital technologies and machines, apparatus and electrical energy followed.

“Patent applications in battery technologies primarily come from innovators in the Republic of Korea, China and Japan, both in terms of share of applications and growth rate,” the organization specified.

Among the top applicants, four of the ten largest are European companies – Nokia, Siemens, Ericsson, and BASF – but the top three are Asian: Samsung and LG of South Korea are first and third, respectively, with China’s Huawei in second place.

The EPO, one of the largest public service institutions in Europe, was established to strengthen cooperation in the field of patents in Europe. In 2023, it implemented a unitary European patent to simplify procedures in 18 EU member states.