Green Innovation on the Rise: New Insights from WIPO

Green technology innovation has expanded significantly over the past two decades, according to a new report from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The study, Mapping Green Innovation: An Overview of the New WIPO IPC-Green Technology Concordance, shows that the number of green technology patent families nearly quadrupled between 2003 and 2023, rising from around 111,400 to 412,300.

Green technologies are also representing a growing share of global inventive activity, accounting for 18.2% of all patent families in 2023, compared with 13.7% in 2003. Particularly strong growth has been recorded in smart energy and grid technologies, energy storage and air pollution control, which together represented more than 40% of green technology patent families between 2021 and 2023.

The report also provides insights into the geographical distribution of green innovation. China accounted for nearly 72% of global green technology patent families in 2023, followed by the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States. Looking at the relative importance of green technologies within national patent portfolios, however, Denmark recorded the highest concentration among leading patenting economies.

Alongside these findings, WIPO introduces the Green Technology Inventory for Statistical Use (WIPO-GTIS), a new harmonised methodology designed to improve how green innovation is measured and compared internationally. Based on International Patent Classification codes, the framework covers five sectors and 36 technology fields.

By providing a more consistent picture of global green patenting trends and areas of technological specialisation, the new framework aims to support researchers, IP offices and policymakers in developing evidence-based innovation, industrial and environmental policies.