International patent applications (PCT) from top 15 countries of origin account for 92.4% of total world applications. Grouped by regions, from 2000 to 2007, North America went from 42.7% to 35.6%; Europe from 35.7% to 29.2%; Asia+Pacific from 14.7% to 27.6% and All Other Countries from 6.9% to 7.6%.

Top 15 countries of origin account for more than 92% of all international patent applications filed under the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty).
While the total number of applications grows regularly (annual average growth of 8% from 2000 to 2007), comparable rates for Far East are much higher: Japan 16.4%, China 31.9%, and Korea 23.9%.
Grouped by region, North America (USA and Canada) still occupy the first rank, followed by Europe. But Asia & Pacific (Japan, China and Korea, plus Israel and Australia) are catching up very fast.

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