The number of national patents applied for in Spain grew by 2% in 2024, a figure that proves the country’s intense innovative and entrepreneurial activity. This is one of the main conclusions of “The SPTO in figures” report, prepared by the statistics department at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. Much of this growth is due to the increasing role of women, who, although they have not yet reached parity in the number of applications, already outnumber men in some sub-sectors.

The SPTO study is based on the various title deeds applied for and published in Spain each year, from inventions (patents and utility models) to distinctive signs and industrial designs originating in Spain. In the case of inventions, the overall figure shows a slight decrease due to the reduction in international applications for patents of Spanish origin, while national applications increased.

A worldwide benchmark
Women led 27.6% of the applications in 2024, 2% more than in 2023. Although they have not yet reached parity, Spanish women stand out as a worldwide benchmark, with figures far higher than those of neighbouring countries. The percentage rises to 34.9% if applications with at least one woman inventor are considered.

These figures are not evenly spread across all industries. There are three areas where parity is achieved: pharmaceuticals, analysis of biological materials and biotechnology. In the case of utility models, women outnumber men with 51.7% of applications.

Public bodies and the private sector
Public organisations, universities and research centres continue to lead inventions. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is once again in pole position with 47 applications. It is followed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia with 37. The top private company in the ranking is Seat, with 17 applications.

By industry, civil engineering ranked first with 88 applications, 25.7% more than the previous year. The special-purpose machinery industry recorded the strongest growth, rising by over 50% to take second place, followed by transport.

Trademarks and industrial designs
Meanwhile, new trademark applications in 2024 reflect the good health of the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a total of 51,264 applications. There was an increase of 5.1% compared with 2023 and no less than 13.3% compared with 2022, bringing the number of applications close to pre-pandemic figures. Trade names also continue the positive trend seen in recent years.

Finally, the number of industrial designs, which amounted to 13,965, is 4.3% less than the previous year, which is explained by the extraordinary growth of 33.6% in 2023. In this type of industrial design, leadership lies with the private sector rather than the public sector, while women’s participation increased by 7%, reaching 41.1% of the design applications filed.

^{Photo: SPTO}