Title page
Contents
Acknowledgements 6
Further information 6
Key numbers for 2021 7
Special theme: How the COVID-19 crisis affected PCT application filings 8
Section A. Statistics on the international phase: PCT applications 11
Highlights 11
Global trends in PCT applications 17
A1. Trend in filings of PCT applications, 2007-2021 17
A2. Distribution of PCT applications by income group, 2011 and 2021 17
A3. Distribution of PCT applications by region, 2011 and 2021 18
PCT applications by receiving office 19
A4. PCT applications for the top 20 receiving offices, 2021 19
A5. PCT applications for selected receiving offices of low- and middle-income countries, 2021 19
PCT applications by origin 20
A6. Distribution of PCT applications by region and origin, 2021 20
A7. Trend in PCT applications for the top five origins, 1979-2021 20
A8. PCT applications for the top 20 origins, 2021 21
A9. PCT applications for the top countries by region, 2019-2021 21
A10. Conversion ratio of direct resident patent applications to PCT applications for the top 20 origins, 2021 22
PCT applications by applicant type 23
A11. Distribution of PCT applications by applicant type, 2007-2021 23
A12. Distribution of PCT applications by applicant type for the top 20 origins by income group, 2021 24
A13. Share of PCT applications with business and public sector co-applicants for the top 20 origins, 2021 25
A14. Share of PCT applications with foreign co-applicants for the top 20 origins, 2021 25
Top PCT applicants 26
A15. Top 50 business PCT applicants, 2019-2021 26
A16. Share of technology fields for the top 10 business applicants, 2021 27
A17. Top 50 university PCT applicants, 2019-2021 28
A18. Top 30 government and PRO PCT applicants, 2019-2021 29
A19. Share of the top three technology fields for the top five universities and PROs, 2021 30
PCT applications by field of technology 31
A20. PCT applications by field of technology, 2017-2021 31
A21. Relative specialization index for the top 10 fields of technology, 2021 32
Participation of women inventors in PCT applications 34
A22. Share of women among listed inventors in PCT applications, 2007-2021 34
A23. Share of PCT applications with at least one woman as inventor and with at least one man as inventor, 2007-2021 34
A24. Share of women among listed inventors in PCT applications by geographical region, 2011, 2016 and 2021 35
A25. Share of women among listed inventors and share of PCT applications with at least one woman as inventor for the top 20 origins, 2021 35
A26. Share of women among listed inventors in PCT applications by geographical region and field of technology, 2019-2021 36
A27. Share of women among listed inventors in PCT applications for the top 10 origins by field of technology, 2021 37
Top clusters of inventors in PCT applications 38
A28. Top 50 PCT clusters, 2016-2020 38
A29. Top 15 technology fields for the top 20 PCT clusters, 2016-2020 39
Statistical table 40
A30. PCT applications by office and origin, 2020-2021 40
Section B. Statistics on PCT national phase entries 43
Highlights 43
Global trends in PCT national phase entries 47
B1. Trend in PCT national phase entries, 2006-2020 47
B2. PCT national phase entries by income group, 2010 and 2020 47
B3. PCT national phase entries by region, 2010 and 2020 48
National phase entries by origin 49
B4. Distribution of PCT national phase entries by region and origin, 2020 49
B5. Trends in PCT national phase entries for the top five origins, 2006-2020 49
B6. PCT national phase entries for the top 20 origins, 2020 50
B7. PCT national phase entries for the top origins by region, 2018-2020 50
B8. Average number of national phase entries per PCT application for the top 20 origins, 2020 51
National phase entries by office 52
B9. Trends in PCT national phase entries for the top five offices, 2006-2020 52
B10. Flow of national phase entries between regions of origin and regions of destination, 2020 53
B11. PCT national phase entries for the top 20 offices, 2020 54
B12. Flow of national phase entries for the top 20 offices and the top 10 origins as a percentage of total national phase entries at respective offices, 2020 55
Patent applications by filing route 56
B13. Trend in non-resident patent applications by filing route, 2006-2020 56
B14. Share of PCT national phase entries in total filings abroad for the top 20 origins, 2020 56
B15. Share of PCT national phase entries in total non-resident filings for the top 20 offices, 2020 57
B16. Share of PCT national phase entries in total non-resident filings for the top 10 origins and the top 20 offices, 2020 58
Top applicants in foreign-oriented patent families 59
B17. Top 20 applicants in foreign-oriented patent families using the PCT System, 2016-2018 59
B18. Top 50 applicants in foreign-oriented patent families, 2013-2015 and 2016-2018 60
Statistical table 61
B19. PCT national phase entries by office and origin, 2019-2020 61
Section C. Statistics on the performance of the PCT System 65
Highlights 65
PCT applications by publication language and filing medium 69
C1. Distribution of PCT applications by language of publication, 2007-2021 69
C2. Distribution of PCT applications by filing medium, 2011 and 2021 69
PCT applications filed using ePCT 70
C3. Trend in PCT applications filed using ePCT, 2014-2021 70
C4. PCT applications filed using ePCT for the top 20 origins, 2021 70
Timeliness in processing PCT applications by the International Bureau 71
C5. Timeliness of formalities examination, 2007-2021 71
C6. Timeliness in publishing PCT applications, 2007-2021 71
C7. Timeliness in republishing PCT applications with international search reports, 2007-2021 72
Efficiency in processing PCT applications by the International Bureau 73
C8. Formalities examination quality index, 2012-2021 73
C9. Translation quality indicator, 2012-2021 73
C10. Distribution of translation work, 2012-2021 74
C11. Unit cost of processing a published PCT application, 2012-2021 74
Receiving offices 75
C12. Distribution of PCT applications by filing medium, top 20 receiving offices, 2021 75
C13. Share of PCT applications with priority filings, top 20 receiving offices, 2021 75
C14. Average timeliness in transmitting PCT applications to the International Bureau, 2007-2021 76
C15. Timeliness in transmitting PCT applications to the International Bureau, top 20 receiving offices, 2021 76
C16. Timeliness in transmitting PCT applications to International Searching Authorities, top 20 receiving offices, 2021 77
International Searching Authorities 78
C17. International search reports issued by International Searching Authority, 2021 78
C18. Distribution of international search reports issued by International Searching Authority, 2011 and 2021 78
C19. Average timeliness in transmitting international search reports to the International Bureau, measured from the date of receipt of the search copy, 2007-2021 79
C20. Timeliness in transmitting international search reports to the International Bureau, measured from date of receipt of the search copy by International... 79
C21. Timeliness in transmitting international search reports to the International Bureau, measured from priority date by International Searching Authority, 2021 80
C22. Share of published PCT applications with or without an international search report by International Searching Authority, 2021 80
C23. Flow of PCT applications transmitted from the top nine receiving offices to the top five International Searching Authorities and the top five offices of... 81
Supplementary International Searching Authorities 82
C24. Distribution of supplementary international search reports by Supplementary International Searching Authority, 2019-2021 82
International Preliminary Examining Authorities 83
C25. Distribution of international preliminary reports on patentability by International Preliminary Examining Authority, 2019-2021 83
C26. Average timeliness in transmitting international preliminary reports on patentability to the International Bureau, 2007-2021 84
C27. Timeliness in transmitting international preliminary reports on patentability to the International Bureau by International Preliminary Examining Authority, 2021 84
PCT-Patent Prosecution Highway pilots 85
C28. Distribution of PCT-PPH requests by office of earlier and later examination, 2021 85
Annexes 86
A brief presentation of the Patent Cooperation Treaty 86
Data description 90
Acronyms 91
Glossary 92
PCT Contracting States 96