China’s Enterprise Invention Patent Industrialization Rate Rises to 54% in 2025, Reinforcing Innovation-Driven Growth

BEIJING, April 14 — China’s enterprise invention patent industrialisation rate reached 54 per cent in 2025, marking a 0.7 percentage point increase from 2024 and sustaining steady growth throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), according to the 2025 China Patent Survey Report released recently by the National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).

The report underscores that enterprises have further consolidated their dominant role in patent generation and commercialisation. Some 87.4 per cent of enterprise-owned invention patents originated from in-house research and development (R&D), an increase of 0.8 percentage points year-on-year. This proportion has remained above 80 per cent and trended upward consistently over the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Official data reveal that the average revenue from industrialised invention patents stood at 8.72 million yuan (about 1.21 million US dollars) per patent in 2025, with steady growth recorded across the five-year plan. Among non-industrialised patents, 34.4 per cent were retained as technical reserves for medium- and long-term development, reflecting strategic innovation planning by Chinese enterprises.

Collaboration between industries, universities and research institutes has also strengthened, with 43.8 per cent of enterprises engaging in such partnerships, fostering a more integrated innovation ecosystem.

These results coincide with broader progress in China’s intellectual property (IP) development. By the end of 2025, the number of valid invention patents domestically exceeded 5.32 million, making China the first country to surpass the 5-million threshold. High-value invention patents per 10,000 people reached 16, exceeding the 14th Five-Year Plan target.

“The continuous rise in patent industrialisation rates demonstrates that China’s innovation system is increasingly effective at translating research outcomes into real productivity,” noted Liang Xinxin, Director-General of the Strategic Planning Department at CNIPA, according to a statement carried by China National Radio. “Enterprises have become the main force in creating high-value patents, with 280,000 enterprises holding 1.764 million high-value patents, predominantly in strategic emerging industries.”

Patent commercialisation activities expanded markedly in 2025. Patent transfer and licensing filings reached 697,000, up 13.7 per cent year-on-year. The total value of technology contracts involving patents hit 1.18 trillion yuan, growing 18.8 per cent from 2024. IP pledge financing extended by banks totalled 297.9 billion yuan, supporting 28,700 borrowers.

The enhanced patent performance aligns with national strategies to boost new-quality productive forces and high-level self-reliance in science and technology. With the 14th Five-Year Plan successfully concluded, authorities have emphasised continued efforts to optimise the IP ecosystem, strengthen protection, and promote deeper integration of innovation and industry—laying solid foundations for sustained economic upgrading.