Signal China files more than twice as many patent applications as the US

Summary

The report points to the growing number of patents granted worldwide, and the related rise in innovations, as evidence that technology is accelerating. In patent applications China ranks first globally, filing more than twice as many as the United States. The report sees this acceleration piling up technologies that are close to breaking through. Innovation tends to arise where knowledge domains and sectors meet, and nano, bio, information and cognitive sciences are increasingly intertwined in new technologies. AI plays a major role in speeding up progress in biotechnology, neurotechnology and quantum technology. Elsewhere the report records that China entered the global top ten of innovative countries for the first time in 2025.