Trademark registration statistics (2022-2024)

Summary for those who do not want to read the whole survey

• Above 88 million active trademarks were recorded worldwide in 2023, with the China maintaining a long lead (46.1 million).
• The 2022 was a year of correction after the pandemic «explosion», with a ~15% reduction in global applications. The 2023–2024 shows stabilisation of mild recovery.
• Η Asia dominates the global volume of applications (>65%), while the Europe recedes (~10–12%) but remains a critical player.
• The EUIPO Gather 175,700 applications in 2023, with the China, USA and Germany to be the main countries of origin.
• Η Greece set a 15-year record in national applications in 2024, with 7,000+ new registrations.
• The most popular trademark sectors internationally are: Technology, retail, and business services.

Conclusion:
Trademark registration is no longer an option, but strategic prerequisite for the survival and growth of every modern business. The numbers confirm that competition is intensifying not only at a local level, but primarily internationally, with Asian markets emerging as a driving force.

Within this landscape, the Greece shows signs of increased business alertness and patent maturity. The Synapse is here to translate statistics into strategies – with full documentation, commercial insight, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

Main Conclusions

• Active trademarks exceed 88 million globally (2023), with the China to hold £46.1m.
• In 2022, there was reduction ~15% In applications relating to 2021. 2023–2024 show signs of stabilising.
• Η Europe It gathers ~10–12% of the applications, with the EUIPO to record 175,700 applications in 2023.
• At Greece, the applications reached 7,000 in 2024, 15-year record.
• The most common trademark categories are: technology (class 9), retail (35), R&D and design services (42).
• Η international patent protection (Madrid system) registered 65,000 applications in 2024, with the USA, Germany and China at the top.

Analytical Research

International, regional & national applications (WIPO, EUIPO, national offices)

Madrid International System (WIPO): International applications via the Madrid system saw a downturn in 2022–2023 but recovered in 2024. Specifically, in 2023, some 64,200 international applications were filed (–7%compared to 2022), while in 2024 this rose to 65,000 (+1.2% ). The USA was the largest country of origin (~11,000 applications), followed by Germany, China, France and the United Kingdom.

European Trademark (EUIPO): The EUIPO received 175,709 applications for EU trademarks (EUTMs) in 2023. Of these, approximately 17% (29,462) came in via international extensions (Madrid). The remainder were filed directly. China, Germany and the USA were the main countries of origin.

National Offices – Example of Greece: In Greece, applications at the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI) increased from 6,449 in 2023 to approximately 7,000 in 2024 – a 15-year record level. National protection remains particularly important for SMEs, due to its simplicity and low cost. Similar increases were observed in Italy and Spain. In contrast, the United Kingdom and other markets (Turkey, Iran) saw a sharp decline.

Global overall figures

2022 saw a sharp decrease in new trademark applications (around –15%compared to 2021), ending a 12-year streak of growth. Approximately 15.5 million applications were filed (in terms of classes). In 2023, applications stabilised (~15.2 million classes) – just 1.3% less than in 2022. 2024 is showing a recovery trend, with a slight increase in international applications via WIPO (+1.2% ).

The total number of active trademarks worldwide continued to increase: in 2023 there were 88.2 million registered trademarks, with China holding 46.1 million, while India and the USA each had around 3.2 million active ones.

Distribution by country – Top markets

• China 7.2 million applications in 2023, almost 10 times more than the USA. Dominant presence in global deposit volume.
• USA 739,000 patent application classes in 2023. Decreases in filings after the pandemic, but it remains a leading country of origin for international patent applications.
• India 520,000+ applications (2023), upward trend and 4th place globally.
• European Union: 175,700 applications at EUIPO in 2023. China, Germany and the USA are the main countries of origin. Greece submitted 7,000 applications in 2024 – a 15-year record.

Trends by product/service category

Primacy of technological sectors:
IT technologies and services show the greatest activity in terms of trademark registration. According to WIPO data, the most frequently declared category (Nice Class) in international trademarks in 2023 was Year 9 – which include electronic devices, software, and other technology products – and represented approximately 11% of the total number of international applications.

Immediately after follow:

• Class 35Retail, marketing, and business services (~8.8%)
• Class 42Technological, research and design services (~8.1%)
  

This captures a clear shift by brands towards digitisation and the provision of high-tech services.

Differences by geographical market:

• At China, the most popular category of trademarks concerned agricultural products and foodstuffs.
• At India, the first applications were concerning Pharmaceutical and medical products.
• At USA and in the Germany, categories relating to predominated Research & Technology, Education/Entertainment and Business services.
• in the Russia, the Clothing and fashion (Class 25) held first place, showing a different direction in local registration priority.

Section conclusion:
Trademark registration follows the economic footprints of countries. Where technology is exportable or developmental, intense deposit activity is observed in digital and software categories. In the most productive economies, physical products (agricultural, clothing, pharmaceuticals) naturally predominate, highlighting branding as a means of differentiation.

Important changes and regional trends

Pandemic effect – Boom and correction:
The COVID-19 pandemic period led to a Explosive increase applications for trademarks, as many businesses and startups launched new products, services, or digital identities. In 2020, global applications increased by +16,6%, and in 2021 they continued their rise by +4,5%.

However, the 2022 the largest annual drop in over 10 years was recorded, with a decrease of ~15%. This «correction» brought the number of applications back to pre-pandemic levels.
The 2023 global patenting stabilised with a marginal decrease (~–1.3%), while the 2024 a mild recovery is recorded, mainly in international applications.

Geographical power shift – Asia's rise:
In the last decade, there has been a striking a shift in the pattern of patenting activity towards Asia. In 2023, Asian offices (China, India, Korea etc.) accounted for 66–68% of total applications worldwide, compared to ~17% for North America and ~10% for Europe.
In 2013 the Asian percentage was just 58% — the increase is clear and continuous.

Fall in mature markets – Rise in emerging:
Example of the change:

• The United Kingdom a decrease –21.5% in applications in 2022
• The Iran and the Turkey showed falls of ~–10% and –17.9% respectively in 2023
• Instead, the Russia recorded a% increase of +29.8 in 2023
• Η Indonesia, the Mexico, the Brazil and the India showed increases between +5% and +9%, mainly due to domestic demand

Section conclusion:
The registration of trademarks is now an indicator of geo-economic positioning. Asian and emerging markets are taking an active role in global IP strategy, while mature markets are re-examining the effectiveness of their registrations in conditions of saturation or economic pressure.

Concluding observation

Global trademark registration no longer follows simple linear growth rates. Instead, it operates as dynamic indicator of business outward-lookingness, technological innovation and geopolitical power.

• Η China has established itself as the leading force in the trademarks ecosystem — not only in absolute terms but also as an «entry point» to global branding.
• The USA maintain their superiority in international protection (Madrid system) and technological innovation.
• Η India, Russia and Brazil emerging as new centres of acquisitive activity, representing markets with domestic demand and legislative modernisation.
• Η Europe, although stable, it shows restrained momentum and requires strategic readjustment in terms of the speed and flexibility of safeguarding mechanisms.

Greece, within this global environment, shows signs of substantial strengthening: an increase in national applications, the maturation of the OBI and the reinforcement of legal culture around IP rights.

In total:
The era when a trademark was “optional” is long gone. A mark is now the minimum requirement for the recognition and protection of an idea or identity. The numbers don't just tell a story: require strategic placement.

Research identity

The statistical record you read is the result of a systematic process Deep Research, specifically designed for extracting cross-referenced quantitative and qualitative conclusions through advanced artificial intelligence.

The analysis simultaneously utilised:

• Official databases of international organisations (WIPO, EUIPO, USPTO, INPI, OBI),
• Recognised legal and financial publications,
• Mechanisms for time-series correlation of statistical parameters (time-series normalisation & cross-domain triangulation).

The information was not just recovered - Compiled by. Through multiple levels of semantic filtering, categorisation, validity assessment and contextual enrichment, the search engine focused not only on What is recorded, but also in how, Why and What is implied in trademarks as an international phenomenon.

The result is not a simple collection of numbers, but a complete, multidimensional mapping of the trademark ecosystem, capable of supporting strategic decisions with depth, accuracy, and foresight.

Issuing Information

Issue Code: TMX/2025
Publisher: Synapsee (Synapsee Research Publishing)
Responsible Editorial Team: D.R.A.G.I. Research Desk (GPT-5.1 powered)
License: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Republishing and sharing permitted only with reference to the official link:
Official Link https://synapsee.gr/research/trademark-nomikes_epiptoseis_xoris_emporiki_katoxyrosi

Not allowed the modification of the content or the commercial exploitation without Written permission.

Objective: A text that can be used standalone as a corporate/thematic research, educational whitepaper, or knowledge base for discussion. It faithfully follows the D.R.A.G.I. template with consistency, documentation, and business value.

Legal and Research Statement

Scope: The research is based solely on secondary data, from publicly available or paid published sources. It does not include primary data collection by the editorial team.
Research Objective: The study aims to present consolidated statistics and conclusions regarding Trademarks (registration, legal protection, brand value, commercial use), so as to support rational decision-making and the formulation of informed strategies in relevant business sectors.
Limitations and Disclaimer: The content is provided for informational purposes and is not a substitute for legal, financial or investment advice. The publisher is not responsible for decisions or actions based herein without additional independent documentation. Research is based on secondary sources and automated content processing through large language models. Despite due diligence and documentation, it may contain inaccuracies or omissions. Independent confirmation of critical information is recommended before any application or decision is made.
Accuracy and Timeliness: The data represents the situation up to December 2025 (unless otherwise noted in specific data). The speed of change in the realm of trademarks and technology may alter some of the conclusions at a later date.

Table of Sources

The set of sources is active during the period March–April 2025 and accurately documents the data presented in this study.