Applications fell from “traditional European leaders” in 2025, including Germany, France and Switzerland
China has become the third-biggest source of applications for European patents, as its number increased by 9.7 per cent from 2024 to 2025.
A record total of almost 202,000 applications were filed with the European Patent Office in 2025, the EPO announced on 24 March, adding that this was a rise of 1.4 per cent on the previous year.