Innovative India led global patent filing growth in 2022

Patent filings by Indians surged by 31.6% in 2022, the sharpest increase globally, reflecting the country’s growing innovation ecosystem, as per data by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

Innovators worldwide filed 3.46 million patent applications in 2022, which is 1.7% higher when compared with the previous year. Indian innovators filed 15,495 more patent applications in 2022 than in the previous year, while China received 33,605 more applications than in 2021. 

“The rise in patent applications in India demonstrates the rising innovative zeal of our youth and is a very positive sign for the times to come,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

In absolute terms, India accounts for the sixth largest number of patent applications globally. China is by far the largest followed by the US, Japan, South Korea and European Union.

China’s share of the world total has risen from 27.7% in 2012 to 46.8% in 2022. In contrast, the US share has declined from 23% to 17.2% over the past decade.  

The largest number of patents globally was in computer technology (11.1%), followed by electrical machinery (6.4%), measurement (5.8%), medical technology (5.2%) and digital communication (4.9%).

This is the 11th consecutive year of increase in patent
applications by Indians. “Patent applications by residents of India grew by 31.6% in 2022, extending an 11-year run of growth unmatched by any other country among the top 10 filers,” WIPO noted in its annual World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) report.

The bulk of intellectual property (IP) filing activity occurs in Asia, which accounted for 67.9% of global patent filing activity in 2022. China accounts for nearly half of the intellectual property filing activity globally.

“Developing countries are increasingly engines of IP, showing the greatest growth rates as they harness the innovation and creative potential of their people,” said WIPO Director General Daren Tang in a statement. He, however, flagged concerns over the drop in funding that could hurt innovation.

“Uncertainty continues to weigh on the global innovation ecosystem, with venture capital funding dropping in many parts of the world. We urge investors to pursue quality, but not at the expense of supporting good ideas that can change the world for the better,” he added.