The key PCT statistics for 2026 come from WIPO’s PCT Yearly Review 2026, published in June: about 275,900 international patent applications were filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2025, up 0.7%. Asia accounted for 57% of them. Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania together accounted for just 1.4%. For Latin American companies with inventions worth protecting in Europe or the United States, that gap is also an opportunity.
Key takeaways
- PCT applications reached about 275,900 in 2025 (+0.7%), with China, the US, Japan, Korea and Germany filing 78.2% of them.
- Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania together filed 1.4% of all PCT applications.
- Brazil was the largest Latin American origin, with an estimated 619 applications, behind Spain (1,596) and ahead of Chile (202) and Mexico (180).
- Foreign applicants rely on the PCT to enter Latin America: over 90% of non-resident filings at Brazil’s office came through the PCT in 2024.
- The PCT gives applicants about 30 months from priority before they must commit to each country.
What does the PCT Yearly Review 2026 show?
According to the executive summary of the Review, growth was modest: over 2020–2025, PCT applications grew by an average of 0.1% a year. The PCT had 158 member countries in 2025, and applicants from 129 countries used it.
| Indicator (2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| PCT applications filed | About 275,900 (+0.7%) |
| Top origins | China 73,718; US 52,617; Japan 47,922; Republic of Korea 25,016; Germany 16,441 |
| Share by region | Asia 57%; Europe 21.6%; Northern America 20%; Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania 1.4% |
| Leading technology field | Digital communication, 11.1% |
| National phase entries (2024, latest year) | About 645,100 (–3.7%) |
The PCT Newsletter No. 06/2026 adds that 99.4% of applications were filed electronically. Women made up 18.1% of named inventors, and Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest share of any region, at 24.5% (executive summary).
Where does Latin America stand in the PCT statistics for 2026?
WIPO’s country figures, published with its press release of 6 March 2026 as 2025 estimates, show how small Latin American volumes remain:
| Origin | 2024 | 2025 (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (reference) | 1,519 | 1,596 |
| Brazil | 634 | 619 |
| Chile | 218 | 202 |
| Mexico | 154 | 180 |
| Colombia | 71 | 63 |
| Peru | 31 | 50 |
| Argentina | 28 | 40 |
Brazil, Chile and Mexico together filed about 1,000 PCT applications, fewer than two-thirds of Spain’s total. In Africa, South Africa (200), Morocco (73) and Egypt (59) lead.
Why the low share is an opportunity
The flow runs mainly one way. In 2024, 53.3% of the world’s non-resident patent applications entered through the PCT national phase, and at Brazil’s office the PCT share was above 90% (executive summary). Foreign companies use the PCT to secure Latin American markets; relatively few Latin American companies use it to secure Europe or the US.
For a Latin American company with a product heading abroad, the PCT offers a way to claim a filing date in all member countries at once and postpone the most expensive decisions. A competitor’s earlier application, once published, can be cited against yours in every country.
How the PCT timeline works for a company entering Europe and the US
WIPO’s own guidance for SMEs, in the same newsletter, sets out the typical timeline, counted from the first filing (priority date):
- Month 0: first national application, for example at Brazil’s or Mexico’s office.
- Month 12: PCT application claiming that priority.
- Around month 16: international search report and written opinion on patentability.
- Month 18: international publication.
- Month 22 (or three months after the search report): optional demand for international preliminary examination.
- Month 30 or 31: entry into the national or regional phase, such as the European Patent Office or the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The international filing fee was CHF 1,330 on 1 June 2026, before search and transmittal fees, which vary by office; applicants meeting WIPO’s criteria can get a 90% reduction.
What this means for your business
- File before you disclose: present at a trade fair or to investors only once a first application is on file.
- Use months 12 to 30 to test markets, read the search report and decide where to enter.
- Budget for the national phase, not just the PCT filing: translations and local agents drive most of the cost.
- Choose the European route deliberately: one European application can cover the EPC states and, through validation, Morocco and Tunisia.
If your company plans to take an invention from Latin America to Europe and the US, our international patent and PCT filing team can build the timeline and the budget with you.
Where companies get this wrong
- Disclosing before filing. A public presentation can destroy novelty in most of the countries that matter.
- Missing the 12-month priority year, which forces a fresh filing without the earlier date.
- Treating month 30 as the time to start thinking: national phase entries need translations and local agents lined up in advance.
- Filing in the founder’s name and then transferring ownership late, which complicates the national phase and later fundraising.
Coordinating the priority filing, the PCT application and the national phases through one team keeps these deadlines on a single calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How many PCT applications were filed in 2025?
About 275,900, according to WIPO’s PCT Yearly Review 2026, a 0.7% increase on 2024. China led with 73,718 applications, followed by the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Germany. Together those five origins accounted for 78.2% of all PCT applications filed in 2025.
What share of PCT applications comes from Latin America?
WIPO reports Latin America and the Caribbean together with Africa and Oceania: the three regions accounted for 1.4% of PCT applications in 2025. By country, WIPO’s estimates put Brazil at 619 applications, Chile at 202 and Mexico at 180, compared with 1,596 from Spain.
How much does a PCT application cost?
The international filing fee was CHF 1,330 on 1 June 2026, according to WIPO’s fee tables. A search fee and a transmittal fee are added, and they vary by office. Eligible applicants can obtain a 90% reduction. The larger costs come later, at national phase entry.
Can IP Global Guard file a PCT application for a Latin American company?
Yes. We prepare and coordinate the PCT strategy and filing, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and through qualified representatives otherwise, and coordinate national phase entries in Europe, Latin America and Africa with local correspondents. For the US, we coordinate local counsel as an extension of the same plan.
How IP Global Guard can take your invention abroad
The PCT statistics for 2026 show that Latin American companies still use the system far less than their competitors. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates patent filings across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa, with one strategy and one billing relationship.
Tell us what the invention is, when it was first filed or disclosed and which markets you are aiming for. We will set out the PCT timeline, the national phase options and an estimate of official fees. Contact our patent team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on the date of publication.
