Intellectual property worldwide - statistics & facts
As of 2024, the United States was the leading country for the best intellectual property environment with an overall score of 95.48 points. International intellectual property is a competitive and complicated field that can be divided into several categories, including patents, trademarks, copyright, and industrial design. Each of these classifications provides different degrees of exclusivity regarding the rights of use.
Traditionally, the United States has been the powerhouse of intellectual property. However, the status quo has been challenged by strong growth in Asian markets, especially China, which had the highest number of patents in force as of 2023. The number of patent applications in China’s high-tech industry has exploded in the last decade, with the 2022 applications being more than four times what they were in 2012.
Patents
Patents are the most traditional section of intellectual property. They are granted by sovereign authorities for an invention and give the patent owner the exclusive right to a given product or technology. Since 1990, the number of patents granted worldwide has been multiplied by nearly five. One of the main reasons behind this growth is the boom in the technology market, especially in the fields connected with computer science and online technologies. In 2024, digital communication and computer technology topped the list of technologies with the most international patent applications.Traditionally, the United States has been the powerhouse of intellectual property. However, the status quo has been challenged by strong growth in Asian markets, especially China, which had the highest number of patents in force as of 2023. The number of patent applications in China’s high-tech industry has exploded in the last decade, with the 2022 applications being more than four times what they were in 2012.
