Recently WIPO in its annual PCT overview, released the state of PCT application filing for the year 2023. The data is released for (I) International patent applications by origin (II) Top PCT applicants (III) Top PCT applicants by an educational institution (IV) International applications by field of technology. A total of 272,600 PCT applications were filed in 2023, a 1.8% decline from 277,632 in 2022. China continued to be the highest contributor with 69,610 applications. Countries in Asia represent 55.7% of international patent applications via PCT, up from 40.5% in one decade ago. As per the release, the economic uncertainties in 2023 have been a major reason behind the slowed-down innovation activity. However, a recovery is expected in international IP filings in 2024 with declining inflation rates and increased business confidence.
International patent applications by origin (PCT System)
Since 2002, this is the first time that China has seen a decline in applications. USA saw a decline of 5.3% since last year and filed 55,678 PCT applications. Japan (-2.9%), the Republic of Korea (+1.2%) and Germany (3.2%) followed with 48879, 22288, and 16916 applications respectively.
India recorded the highest jump of 44.6% from 2622 applications in 2022 to 3791 in 2023 making India rank 11th. After India, Turkey, Netherlands, France and the Republic of Korea were the only other countries with growth in filings in 2023, with an increase of 8.5%, 5.8%, 2% and 1.2%.
As per the Indian Patent Office records, the office granted a record-breaking 41,010 patents during the fiscal year 2023 to 2024, as of November 15, 2023. This achievement marks the highest number of patents ever awarded in India. The number of patents granted has been steadily increasing over the years, from 4,227 in FY 2013 to 2014, to 28,385 in FY 2021 to 2022, and further to 34,153 in FY 2022 to 2023.
India's surge in granted patents is a positive indication of the country's robust innovation ecosystem. This increase in patents highlights the growing recognition of the significance of intellectual property rights and innovation and underlines India's commitment to promoting a culture of innovation that drives economic growth and positions the country as a leader in global innovation.

Top PCT applicants
Huawei Technologies (China) filed 6494 PCT applications filed in 2023, making it the highest filer. However, the figure is 1195 less than what was filed in 2022. Contemporary Amperex Technology of China recorded the highest growth rate, moving up 84 positions to 8th. However, the number of cross-border patent applications filed via PCT has decreased in both China and the United States.
The list of Top PCT applicants is dominated by applicants of Chinese origin with 14 such companies in the list, followed by Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea with 14, 9 and 4 applicants.

Top PCT applicants by educational institution
According to the data, the University of California (USA) remained the top applicant in the education sector with 531 published PCT applications in 2023. Tsinghua University saw the most significant growth among the top five educational institutions, with an additional 35 published PCT applications.
Suzhou University (China) secured the second position with 332 applications, followed by the University of Texas System (US) with 217, Tsinghua University (China) with 209, and Leland Stanford Junior University (USA) with 180. The US dominates the list, with 22 universities on the list, followed by China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, with 12, 7, and 5 applicants.

International applications by field of technology
Computer technology accounted for the largest share of published PCT applications in 2023, at 10.2%. It was followed by digital communication (9.4%), electrical machinery (7.9%), medical technology (6.7%), and pharmaceuticals (4.7%). These five fields comprised around 40% of all published PCT applications in 2023.
In the field of Electrical engineering, Computer technology (27,276) and Digital communication (25,124) had the highest number of filings, whereas Basic communication processes (1,696) and Telecommunications (6,299) had the lowest. In the Instruments field, Medical technology (17868) and Measurement (11827) had the highest number of applications, while Analysis of biological materials (1987) and Control (4534) had the least. In Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals (12425) and Biotechnology (9690) had the highest filings, whereas Food Chemistry (2519) and Micro-structural and nano-technology (388) had the lowest. In Mechanical engineering, Transport (10,836) and Other special machines (6927) had the highest number of applications, whereas Machine tools (3907) and Textile and Paper Machines (2191) had the least. Other fields had the highest PCT applications in other consumer goods (6158), while furniture and games (4549) had the least.
Out of the top 10 technology fields, only four showed growth in 2023, with electrical machinery (+8.8%) experiencing the highest rate of growth, followed by transport (+7.7%), semiconductor (+5.6%), and biotechnology (+3.8%). Computer technology, after seven consecutive years of growth, declined 3.4% in 2023. Similarly, digital communication also decreased by 2.1% in 2023, marking its first decrease since 2019.
