Europe’s patent landscape: stable, but no breakthrough

As Evertiq reported last year, the number of applications in 2023 rose by 2.9% compared to 2022, reaching the highest total in EPO history. Yet, the majority of these applications came from outside of Europe.

Steady numbers, no new record

The latest EPO report shows that 199,264 applications were filed in 2024 — just 11 fewer than the year before. This represents a slight 0.1% decline, which does little to alter the big picture: companies and inventors continue to seek IP protection in Europe.

AI and green energy on the rise

The top field in terms of patent applications was computer technology, which includes artificial intelligence-related innovations. Applications in this category increased by 3.3% year-on-year, pushing it to first place. Strong growth (+8.9%) was also recorded in the field of electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy — including clean energy. This is now the second most active technical field at the EPO.

Digital communication and medical technology, on the other hand, saw declines of –6.3% and –3% respectively, ranking third and fourth in the overall list.

Europe sees modest growth, with non-European applicants still dominating

There’s no reason to celebrate for Europe. Patent applications from the 39 EPO member states — including all 27 EU members — increased by just 0.3%. Also slowing down: the previously dynamic growth of filings from Southeast China. In 2024, applications from that region rose by just 0.5%. The strongest year-on-year growth came from South Korea, with a 4.2% increase.

Of the 199,264 total applications submitted to the EPO in 2024, 43.3% came from EPO member states. Germany, France, and the Netherlands led as follows:

• Germany — 25,033 applications (12.6%)
• France — 10,980 (5.5%)
• Netherlands — 7,054 (3.5%)
• Sweden — 2.5%
• Italy — 2.5%
• Other EU countries — 7.8%
• Switzerland — 5%
• UK — 3%
• Other EPO countries — 0.9%

Countries outside of the EPO contributed 56.7% of all filings, with the following leaders:

• USA — 24%
• Japan — 10.6%
• China — 10.1%
• South Korea — 6.6%
• Other — 5.5%

Top technical fields

Based on patent filings, the EPO identified the ten most important technical fields in 2024. These accounted for nearly 57% of all applications. Of those ten, five showed growth. The largest increase came in the area of electrical machinery, apparatus, and energy (including green tech), which rose by 8.9% year-on-year.

Computer technology became the top technical field, overtaking digital communication, which dropped by 6.3%. Here’s how the numbers break down:

• Computer technology — 16,815 applications
• Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy — 16,142
• Digital communication — 15,983
• Medical technology — 10,026
• Measurement — 9,601
• Biotechnology — 8,479
• Pharmaceuticals — 8,359
• Other special machines — 6,258
• Organic fine chemistry — 6,092

Who’s filing the patents applications?

Out of all applications filed:

• 71% came from large enterprises
• 22% from SMEs and individual inventors
• 7% from universities and research institutes

According to the EPO, these figures underline the strong presence of smaller players in the European patent landscape.

Top applicants of 2024

Samsung remains the top filer, with over 5,000 applications. While Asian and US-based firms dominate the top 10, several European players — including Siemens, BASF, and Ericsson — hold their ground.

1. Samsung (South Korea) — 5,107
2. Huawei (China) — 4,322
3. LG (South Korea) — 3,623
4. Qualcomm (USA) — 3,015
5. RTX (USA) — 2,061
6. Siemens (Germany) — 1,830
7. BASF (Germany) — 1,599
8. Ericsson (Sweden) — 1,470
9. Sony (Japan) — 1,307
10. Robert Bosch (Germany) — 1,249
11. Philips (Netherlands) — 1,231
12. Nokia (Finland) — 1,186
13. Alphabet (USA) — 1,171
14. CATL (China) — 1,163
15. Microsoft (USA) — 1,131
16. ZTE (China) — 999
17. Panasonic (Japan) — 990
18. Interdigital (USA) — 863
19. Apple (USA) — 806
20. Xiaomi (China) — 763

Let's meet and talk about innovations

Engineers and developers behind these technologies regularly meet at Evertiq Expo fairs to share insights, experiences, and — of course — their innovations. Our spring series kicks off in southern Sweden, in coastal Malmö (15 May), before moving to Kraków — Poland’s former royal capital — on 28 May. We’ll wrap up the spring season in Berlin, Germany’s vibrant capital, on 5 June.