Record number of Icelandic patent applications filed with the European Patent Office

The European Patent Office (EPO) received 76 applications for European patents from Icelandic applicants in 2025. This represents a 23% increase on 2024 and an 81% increase on 2023, marking the highest number of Icelandic applications for European patents on record. The figures appear in the newly published EPO Technology Dashboard 2025, released this week (formerly the EPO Patent Index).

On a per capita basis, Iceland generated 20 applications per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, placing it 14th among EPO member states, noticeably above the member state average of just under 14. Topping the list by a wide margin is Liechtenstein with over 1,000 applications per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Switzerland with just over 100 and Finland in third place with 61. Sweden and Denmark rank 6th and 7th respectively with 45 applications each, while Norway comes in 17th with 13. Iceland therefore still has considerable ground to cover before matching the other Nordic countries, Norway excepted, in European patent applications per capita.

"Patents are a key means of turning inventions into value, as a recent Icelandic example has shown very clearly. It is therefore very encouraging to see Icelandic companies applying for European patents in growing numbers, as this points to stronger awareness of intellectual property protection in foreign markets. It is a very positive signal of increased competitiveness og Icelandic businesses," says Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, Director General of the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (ISIPO).

The largest share of Icelandic applications to the EPO in 2025 was in medical technology (15), followed by computer technology (9) and information technology (6).
A total of 28 European patents were granted to Icelandic applicants in 2025, a 13% decrease on 2024, though close to the ten-year average of 31. The considerable gap between applications filed and patents granted reflects, among other things, the fact that the examination process typically takes several years. Eight of the European patents granted to Icelandic applicants in 2025 were issued as unitary patents.

Overall, the EPO received just under 202,000 patent applications in 2025, up 1.4% year on year and the highest number ever recorded. The leading sources were the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea. Applications from China have tripled since 2016, while those from South Korea have doubled. The three most prolific filers are South Korean: Samsung, Huawei and LG, followed by Qualcomm, Nokia, Siemens and Ericsson. The largest technology fields were computer technology, digital communications, medical technology and electrical machinery, while among the fastest-growing areas were artificial intelligence (+10%), quantum technology (+38%), batteries (+15%) and semiconductors (+8%). Applications in pharmaceuticals fell by 6% and in biotechnology by 3%.

The EPO is one of the largest international organisations in Europe, with around 6,300 staff and headquarters in Munich, Germany. Iceland became a member state in 2004, and since then the number of validated European patents in Iceland has grown substantially, in 2025, 927 European patents entered into force in the country.

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