EPO Technology Dashboard 2025: China enters top 3 for European patents for first time

• European Patent Office received 22,031 patent applications from China in 2025, a 9.7% increase compared with 2024
• Highest growth rate among top 10 patent filing countries
• China ranks No 3 at the EPO, climbing one rank up from 2024 and passing Japan for the first time
• China accounted for 10.9% of applications in 2025 (up from 10.1% in 2024)
• 1 in 10 applications at the EPO comes from a Chinese company
• Huawei was once again No. 2 applicant at the EPO in 2025
  For the first time, two Chinese companies make the EPO Top 10: CATL moves up to 10th (from 14th in 2024)

 MUNICH, April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese companies and inventors filed a record 22,031 patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) last year, according to the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 (formerly Patent Index) published today. Patent applications from China increased by 9.7% compared to 2024, the highest growth rate among the top ten filing countries. China now ranks 3rd globally, moving ahead of Japan for the first time, and accounts for 10.9% of total applications at the EPO. This confirms China's increasing presence in the global innovation landscape. In total, the EPO received a record 201,974 patent applications in 2025, up 1.4% from the previous year and signalling a return to steady growth. For the first time, applications at the EPO exceeded 200,000.

"The record volume of patent applications underlines Europe's innovative capacity and its appeal as a global technology market," said EPO President António Campinos. "The Technology Dashboard 2025 tracks progress and gaps across industrial sectors, helping policymakers in Europe identify priority areas and target actions and investments to strengthen tech sovereignty and competitiveness. While the Unitary Patent is already removing barriers and accelerating the transition to a more integrated European innovation market, continued focus is needed, especially on strategic sectors such as AI, semiconductors, health and quantum technologies."

China secures third place at the EPO with dynamic growth

The US (47 008 applications. -1.6% vs 2024) maintained its overall position as the top country of origin for European patent applications in 2025, followed by Germany (24 476, -2.2%), and for the first time, China as the third-largest country of origin. Applications at the EPO from China have tripled from 7,092 in 2016 to 22,031 in 2025, highlighting China's strong and sustained growth. In the past decade, China's application volumes have consistently outpaced those from all other major patent filing countries including the US, Japan, Republic of Korea and European ones.

China's patent portfolio: ICT concentration alongside growth in other sectors

Digital communication stood out as China's leading field by far with 4,705 applications (+7.2%), where China ranks second at the EPO and Huawei is the top applicant, at least partly fuelled by the global 6G race. This was followed by electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (2,759, +12.4%) bolstered by a 25.7% surge in battery innovation where China holds the world's No. 2 spot. Computer technology (2,630, +9.8%) was the third biggest field, with China accounting for 12% of all AI applications. These three fields collectively account for 45.8% of all Chinese applications at the EPO, highlighting a high concentration in ICT sectors.

Beyond these core fields, China showed very strong growth in a wide range of other technologies in 2025. Applications in transport surged by 31.2%, while semiconductors grew by 30.3%, outpacing growth from all other leading regions. Steady increases in biotechnology (+2.9%) and organic fine chemistry (+8.1%) further reflect a gradual diversification of China's innovation portfolio.

China's top applicants: Two Chinese companies rank in the EPO top 10 for the first time

For the first time, two Chinese companies ranked among the global Top 10 applicants at the EPO: Huawei (2nd) and CATL (10th). Huawei maintained its status as the leading Chinese firm with 4,744 applications (+9.8%), accounting for 21.5% of all filings from China, and securing the No. 1 position in both Digital communication and Computer technology in 2025.

CATL consolidated its position as China's No. 2 applicant by entering the global Top 10 with 1,305 filings (+12.2%), followed by Xiaomi (939, +23.1%) and ZTE (814, -18.5%). Notably, Oppo Mobile joined the top five after nearly doubling its applications (+85.1%). With six companies now in the global Top 50, these results reflect the strong position of Chinese innovators in Europe.

Chinese regional innovation: Guangdong and Shenzhen maintain top global standings while inland hubs expand

Guangdong led Chinese provinces with 9,959 applications (+4.9%), ranking as the No. 3 region globally for filings at the EPO, while Beijing (No. 11) followed. At the city level, Shenzhen and Beijing achieved global rankings of 2nd and 6th, respectively. Although innovation activity remains concentrated in these established hubs, 2025 saw significant expansion in provinces such as Fujian (+64%), Hubei (+19%), and Sichuan (+19%). This growth indicates a strengthening of inland innovation centres.

Unitary Patent increasingly popular among Chinese patent owners

The Unitary Patent system, launched in 2023, offers innovators simpler and more accessible patent protection in Europe across 18 EU Member States with a single request to the EPO. It is gaining momentum with over 80 000 requests to date and an uptake rate of 28.7% in 2025. Interest in the system from outside Europe is also increasing, especially from China: in 2025 unitary protection was requested by Chinese patent owners for 22.6% of all European patents granted in 2025 – up from 17.8% in 2024.

Further information

• EPO Technology Dashboard 2025  
• Statistics & Trends Centre
• Unitary Patent statistics
• Statistics page to download complete datasets (Excel) 
• EPO Data Hub mobile app
• Observatory on Patents and Technology
• Resources for startups and SMEs

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About the EPO

With 6 300 staff members, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 46 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

About the EPO Technology Dashboard

The EPO Technology Dashboard (the new name for the former annual Patent Index) is a tool for tracking global innovation trends, offering insights into European patent application activity across industries and regions. By analysing patent data, the dashboard serves as a barometer for technological progress, R&D investment, and competitiveness – helping businesses, policymakers, and researchers understand the changing dynamics of the current innovation landscape.