The European Patent Office (EPO) reports a total 86,208 patents applications from Switzerland up to the end of 2025. What does this mean? Each year since 2016, nearly 9,000 applications were filed by Swiss organizations, what results in an average of 23 patent applications every single day in the past ten years. Measurements and the category of electrical machinery, apparatus, energy are top fields for Swiss patent applications.
- 9,914 patent applications in one year (2025) result in an average of
- 826 patent applications per month
- 190 patent applications per week
- 27 patent applications per day
Looking at the EPO Technology Dashboard 2025 the ranking of patent applications per 1 million inhabitants shows an undisputed leader: one million Swiss inhabitants equate to 1095.6 patents. An amazing record! It’s even more notable when economic heavyweights such as Japan (173.1 per million people) and USA (135.4 per million) occupy positions 12 and 15 in this ranking.
Switzerland takes seventh place of all countries, with the total 9.914 patent applications in 2025.
Patents – effectively a synonym for know-how and inventiveness – are a key indicator of a country’s innovative power. The fact that in 2025 Switzerland was responsible for 4.9% of all worldwide patent applications underlines the pioneering spirit of this small country in the heart of Europe.
