A February 8, 2010 WIPO press release states:
International patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) fell by 4.5% in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries.
Among the top 15 countries in terms of PCT applications, only 5 countries showed positive growth (China, Japan, the Netherlands, Korea and France), while PCT filings declined in 10 countries, including 5 that experienced double digit negative growth (Germany, Sweden, United States, Canada and Israel). China was a clear outlier with a positive growth rate of 29.7%, moving into 5th place in terms of global PCT filings, right behind Korea.
The rate of increase/decrease for the top 15 countries was as follows:
| Country | Rate of change in PCT Filings |
| China | 29.7% |
| Japan | 3.6% |
| Netherlands | 3.0% |
| Korea | 2.1% |
| France | 1.3% |
| Switzerland | -1.6% |
| Finland | -2.2% |
| UK | -3.5% |
| Italy | -5.8% |
| Australia | -7.5% |
| Germany | -11.2% |
| Sweden | -11.3% |
| United States | -11.4% |
| Canada | -11.7% |
| Israel | -17.2% |