The World Intellectual Property Organization recently released the 2024 global intellectual property declaration statistics. Data shows that in 2024, the total number of PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) international patent applications worldwide reached 273900, a year-on-year increase of 0.5%. China's application volume is 70160, a year-on-year increase of 0.9%, still the largest source country for application volume. The United States ranks second with 54087 applications, a year-on-year decrease of 2.8%. Japan, South Korea, and Germany followed closely behind. On the applicant side, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. of China ranks first in the world with 6600 PCT international patent applications, followed by Samsung Electronics of South Korea in second place, Qualcomm of the United States, LG Electronics of South Korea, and CATL of China. Among the top 100 applicants, Japan, China, and the United States have 35, 21, and 19 applicants respectively. In the field of education, the University of California continues to rank first with 519 PCT international patent applications, followed by the University of Texas System in the United States, Tsinghua University in China, Zhejiang University in China, and Seoul National University in South Korea. In 2024, digital communication became the primary field for published PCT international patent applications, accounting for 10.5% of the total, surpassing computer technology, which has been in first place since 2019. Other major fields include computer technology, electrical machinery, medical technology, and measurement. Among the top ten technology fields, digital communication and electrical machinery have the fastest growth rates in 2024. (New Society)