The latest Hague System statistics show that international design filings reached a record in 2025: WIPO received 10,344 international applications (+9.4%) containing 28,588 designs (+5.2%), and the European Union remained the most designated member with 20,812 designs. Read carefully, the figures show where competitors are filing, which products drive demand and how long offices take to decide. This analysis is for design owners and in-house teams in Europe, Latin America and Africa planning protection in several countries.
Key takeaways
- 2025 was the Hague System’s fifth consecutive year of growth, with a record 28,588 designs in international applications.
- China (5,911 designs), Germany (4,530) and the US (3,882) were the top origins; Huawei overtook Procter & Gamble as the leading filer.
- The EU was the most designated member (20,812 designs), followed by the UK, the US, Switzerland and China.
- Recording and communication equipment (Locarno class 14) accounted for 13.2% of all designs.
- Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Oceania together accounted for only 0.6% of designs filed, which reflects how few countries in those regions are members.
Hague System statistics for 2025: the key numbers
The Hague System is the international design registration system administered by WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization): one application, filed in English, French or Spanish, can cover up to 100 designs and every member the applicant designates. WIPO published its Hague Yearly Review 2026 on 9 July 2026, with the data for 2025:
| Indicator (2025) | Figure | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| International applications | 10,344 | +9.4% |
| Designs in applications | 28,588 | +5.2% |
| International registrations | 10,044 | +13.5% |
| Designs in registrations | 28,551 | +10.8% |
| Designations in applications | 45,698 | +6.2% |
| Renewals | 6,740 | +13.3% |
| Registrations in force | 67,878 (about 242,200 designs) | +8.9% |
| Fees distributed to designated members | CHF 17.8 million | +17.9% |
The long-term trend is clear: designs registered through the system almost doubled in a decade, from 14,483 in 2015 to 28,551 in 2025. In 2025 the system had 82 members covering 99 countries, after Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan joined.
Who files international designs?
Over 3,700 applicants from at least 73 countries or territories filed in 2025. China led with 5,911 designs (+21.4%), followed by Germany (4,530), the US (3,882, +27.5%), Switzerland (2,285) and Italy (2,015, −10.4%). According to WIPO, growth in 2025 came mainly from China and the US.
By region, Europe still accounted for 53.9% of designs filed, but Asia’s share rose from 12.6% in 2015 to 30.8% in 2025, driven by the accession of the Republic of Korea (2014), Japan (2015) and China (2022). Northern America went from 6.7% to 14.7% after the US (2015) and Canada (2018) joined.
The top filers confirm the sector picture. Huawei Technologies led with a record 1,200 designs in published registrations, ahead of Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software (659), Procter & Gamble (613), Philips Electronics (540) and Samsung Electronics (525). Six of the top 10 applicants work in ICT and consumer electronics.
Where do applicants seek protection?
A designated member is a country or regional organisation where the applicant asks for protection. The EU has been the most designated member since 2010; in 2025 it received 7,182 designations containing 20,812 designs. Next came the UK (15,881 designs), the US (9,098), Switzerland (8,067) and China (6,841).
- Fastest growth among the top 10: the Republic of Korea (+17.3%), China (+11.9%) and Canada (+11.6%).
- Largest declines: Türkiye (−10.5%) and Norway (−10%).
- Regional organisations count once but cover many countries: the EU and OAPI (the African Intellectual Property Organization) explain why 82 members cover 99 countries.
Which products dominate the Hague System?
Designs are grouped under the Locarno Classification. In 2025 recording and communication equipment (class 14, which includes phones and screen-related designs) took 13.2% of all designs, followed by means of transport (class 12, 8%), packages and containers (class 9, 7.9%), furnishings (class 6, 6.7%) and machines (class 15, 5.6%). Designs for machines grew by 25% and class 14 by 13.2%. The top 10 classes together accounted for 63.9% of designs.
For a company in packaging, furniture, vehicles or consumer electronics, this means competitors are actively using the system in your class. A design search before launch is not optional.
What does it cost and how long do offices take?
The average fee per international registration in 2025 was CHF 2,098, CHF 30 more than in 2024. Around two thirds of registrations cost less than that, and only 3.5% exceeded CHF 5,000. The range went from CHF 456 to CHF 46,359 for one US registration with 70 designs and eight designated members. The total depends on the number of designs, reproductions and members, and on whether a member charges an individual fee.
On examination, offices conveyed 29,608 decisions to WIPO in 2024, 4.5 per registration. Around 86% were sent within 12 months, 12.5% within 18 months and 1.5% later. The EU, the UK and the US accounted for 60.8% of decisions. In practice, a registration is not settled in every country until the refusal periods have run.
What this means for your business
The 0.6% share of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean reflects membership more than demand. Mexico and Brazil can be designated, and Mexico rose three places to become the seventh largest recipient of fees in 2025, but Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru are not members and require national filings. Membership is growing: El Salvador will be designable from 7 October 2026, and WIPO has notified the accessions of the Eurasian Patent Organization (10 October) and Lao PDR (14 October).
- Benchmark your class: check who files in your Locarno class and in which members.
- Build the portfolio around the EU and the members your competitors use, then add national filings where the system does not reach.
- Budget by member: individual fees, such as those of the US or Mexico, weigh more than the WIPO basic fee.
- Plan launches with refusal periods in mind, especially where offices take 12 months.
If you need a portfolio that combines the Hague System with national routes, our team for international industrial design registration in Europe, Latin America and Africa can map it member by member.
Where companies misread the statistics
- Reading volume as protection. Statistics show where others file, not where your product is copied. Choose members by market, manufacturing and online sales channels.
- Assuming the system covers Latin America. It covers Mexico, Brazil and a few Caribbean and Central American members; most of South America still requires national applications.
- Forgetting renewals. The system requires renewal every five years, and the 6,740 renewals in 2025 are a reminder that portfolios lapse if no one manages the dates.
- Budgeting on the average fee. A filing with many designs or US and Japanese designations can cost several times the CHF 2,098 average.
These mistakes are cheaper to avoid than to fix: one team overseeing the international application, the national filings and the renewal calendar keeps the portfolio consistent.
Frequently asked questions
How many designs were filed through the Hague System in 2025?
According to WIPO’s Hague Yearly Review 2026, international applications filed in 2025 contained a record 28,588 designs, 5.2% more than in 2024, spread across 10,344 applications. Registrations covered 28,551 designs, and around 242,200 designs were in force through about 67,900 international registrations at the end of the year.
Which is the most designated member of the Hague System?
The European Union, which has held the top position since 2010. In 2025 it was designated 7,182 times for a total of 20,812 designs. The United Kingdom followed with 15,881 designs, then the United States with 9,098, Switzerland with 8,067 and China with 6,841.
Can I protect a design in Argentina, Chile or Colombia through the Hague System?
No. These countries were not members as of September 2026, so protection requires a national application in each one, usually through a local representative and within the six-month priority period from your first filing if you want to keep its date. Mexico, Brazil and El Salvador, from 7 October 2026, can be designated.
Can IP Global Guard manage a Hague application and the national filings around it?
Yes. We prepare and coordinate the international application before WIPO, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and otherwise through qualified representatives, and coordinate local correspondents for national filings and any refusals in Europe, Latin America and Africa, with a single point of contact and one renewal calendar.
How IP Global Guard turns the data into a filing plan
Statistics are useful when they translate into decisions: which members to designate, where to file nationally and how to budget renewals. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages design portfolios in more than 25 jurisdictions across Europe, Latin America and Africa with one strategy and one billing relationship.
Tell us which products you plan to protect, their Locarno class and the markets where you sell or manufacture. We will compare the Hague and national routes and coordinate every filing from one point of contact. Send us your product list.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the data available on its publication date.
Sources
- WIPO, Hague Yearly Review 2026: Executive Summary (9 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Hague Notification No. 155, El Salvador (7 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Hague Notification No. 156, Eurasian Patent Organization (10 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Hague Notification No. 157, Lao PDR (14 July 2026)
- WIPO Lex, Hague Agreement contracting parties (database)
- WIPO, Hague System: Questions and Answers (latest revision January 2025)
