Record 30% Jump to Over 1.43 Lakh

New Delhi: The number of patent applications increased by 30.2 per cent to 1,43,729 in 2025-26 compared to 1,10,375 in the previous fiscal due to various initiatives taken by the government to strengthen the intellectual property rights ecosystem, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Sunday.

As India is the world’s sixth-largest patent filing country, the minister said the country’s patent applications rose to a historic 1.43 lakh plus in the financial year 2025-26, marking a 30.2 per cent increase over last year. “With over 69 per cent of patents filed domestically, led by innovators from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, we are showing the world that Made in India is powered by Invented in India,” he said in a social media post.

The central government has taken various measures to strengthen the patent ecosystem in the country, especially targeting start-ups, MSMEs and educational institutions. The number of applications has been increasing continuously since 2016-17 when it was 45,444. 47,894 in 2027-28, 50,660 in 2018-19, 56,268 in 2019-20, 58,503 in 2020-21, 66,440 in 2021-22, 82,208 in 2022-23 and In 2022-23, it was 92,163. 2023-24.

These steps include reducing fees for startups, small organizations and educational institutions; ensuring expedited examination of patent applications; and providing free facility to Indian startups in filing and processing patent, trademark and design applications.

Patent applications are granted after substantial examination to determine compliance with the novelty, inventive step and industrial applicability requirements under the Patents Act 1970. The review process follows a two-stage system where applications are reviewed by the controller and then reviewed.