China has surpassed the US to become the world’s largest source of patent applications.
It now accounts for roughly 27% of all global patent applications, the highest share of any country, according to data highlighted by a capital markets commentator. The Kobeissi letter.
That figure has nearly doubled over the past eleven years, reflecting the country’s aggressive push into research, development and intellectual property in sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to artificial intelligence.
US patent shares fall to their lowest level in decades
Over the same period, the US share has fallen to around 20%, a decline of roughly 9 percentage points, marking the lowest contribution to global patent filings since at least the 1980s.
While US companies continue to innovate in absolute terms, their share of global files has shrunk as other regions – led by China – have grown faster.
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Germany and Japan show different trends
Europe’s largest economy has also seen its position weaken. The German share has fallen to around 6%, a drop of around three points.
Japan, meanwhile, has remained relatively stable, accounting for almost 18% of global applications and ranking as the third largest patent contributor in the world.
What the patent shift signals for global innovation
Patent applications are widely seen as a forward-looking indicator of technological and economic competitiveness.
Previously an investor in “Shark Tank”. Kevin O’Leary warned that slowing the rollout of AI infrastructure in the US would simply boost investment abroad, with China emerging as the main beneficiary.
He has argued that while Washington remains embroiled in licensing and regulatory debates, Beijing is moving quickly to build, expand and deploy AI capacity.
O’Leary has repeatedly warned that longer approval times in the US give China an advantage in quickly adding new data centers.
These concerns have been reflected by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huangwho has pointed out that it could take years for major AI facilities in the US to come online, while China is making much faster progress on large-scale infrastructure projects.
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Disclaimer: This content was produced in part using AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga’s editorial staff.
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