As World Intellectual Property (IP) Day is observed globally, India has emerged as a prominent player in the international innovation ecosystem.
India maintained its rank as the fifth-largest patent filer worldwide in FY24, with over 90,000 patents submitted—a milestone marking seven consecutive years of growth. A notable portion of these patents, more than 25%, are linked to AI technologies, underlining India’s growing reputation as a center for advanced technological development.
The report also reveals a steady rise in the country’s innovation output. India’s patent-to-GDP ratio more than doubled in a decade, increasing from 144 in 2013 to 381 in 2023. Additionally, India’s share in global patent grants grew from 1.7% in 2022 to 3.8% in 2023—a 149% year-on-year increase.
For the first time, the number of granted patents in India crossed 100,000 in FY24, indicating both enhanced operational efficiency at the Indian Patent Office and an improvement in the quality of applications. A growing share of these filings—over 55%—were submitted by Indian residents, compared to 52.3% the previous year. Contributions from startups, academic institutions, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are playing an increasingly vital role, showing a broadening base of innovation.
Artificial Intelligence remains a major driver of this progress. Since 2010, India has filed more than 86,000 AI-related patents, with filings between 2021 and 2025 rising seven times compared to the 2010–2015 period. Indian entities were responsible for 63% of these filings, signaling strong domestic innovation leadership in AI.
Machine Learning (ML) continues to dominate AI-related patents, accounting for over half of them. Within ML, Generative AI (GenAI) has become a significant focus area. In India, GenAI makes up 28% of AI patents, far exceeding the global average of just 6%, placing the country among the top five globally in this space.
Key sectors driving AI patent activity include transportation, which accounts for more than 70% of AI filings, as well as computer vision and natural language processing, which together represent over 90% of India’s AI-related patents.
India’s grant rate for AI patents stands at only 0.37%, significantly behind global leaders such as the United States and China. The gap is even wider in academia, where the approval rate is just 1%, compared to 40% for corporate applicants.
This gap reflects the need for improved research capabilities, stronger institutional support, and a greater emphasis on producing high-quality intellectual property.
Rajesh Nambiar, President of Nasscom, recognized India’s progress but emphasized that more work is needed. “While the increase in filings and patent office responsiveness are encouraging, delays in approvals and inconsistent patent quality remain barriers to matching global benchmarks,” he stated.
To support ongoing improvements, Nasscom has introduced the IP Enablement Initiative. This program aims to boost IP literacy and infrastructure across academia, startups, and industry. It also calls for policy reforms and a cultural shift to encourage innovation and higher-quality IP creation nationwide.