International patent applications filed through the World Intellectual Property Organization's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) reached 275,900 in 2025, a 0.7% increase over 2024 and the second consecutive year of growth, according to a WIPO press release published on March 6, 2026. The expansion was driven significantly by activity in information and communications technology, with digital communication remaining the top category, accounting for 11.1% of all published PCT applications, while semiconductors posted one of the fastest growth rates among leading technology fields.
Both digital communication and semiconductors recorded growth rates of 6.1% in 2025, making them the fastest-growing fields among the top ten technology categories. Other prominent areas included computer technology at 9.6%, electrical machinery at 9.0%, medical technology at 6.3%, and pharmaceuticals at 4.3%. Together, these five fields represented just over 40% of all published PCT applications.
China led all filers with 73,718 applications, an increase of 5.3%, followed by the United States with 52,617 and Japan with 47,922. WIPO Director General Daren Tang attributed part of the growth to rising investment in and deployment of artificial intelligence, stating that AI is helping to fuel this growth and will increasingly transform how we innovate. Tang also noted that WIPO would work to make its global IP services "more efficient, more digital and more customer centered" to keep pace with shortened innovation and business cycles.
Beyond patents, WIPO's Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks saw the class covering computer hardware, software, and other electrical or electronic apparatus account for 10.8% of 2025 international trademark applications, followed by business services at 8.5% and scientific and technological services at 7.9%. Under the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, recording and communication equipment represented the largest share of total designs at 13.2%, ahead of means of transport at 8.0% and packages and containers at 7.9%.
The data underscores the degree to which digital technologies continue to shape the global innovation landscape.
Several verified sources, together with artificial intelligence, were used in the preparation of this article. The content was reviewed by our editorial team prior to publication. Disclosure provided in accordance with Article 50 of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act).






