How much trademark activity actually crosses a border
Across the full dataset, domestic filings have consistently outpaced filings abroad by a wide and growing margin.
Source: WIPO Statistical Database, applicant origin-to-destination office filing data, 2014 to 2024.
While relatively modest, the market for outbound filing work has grown in absolute terms (from around 917,000 to just over 1 million a year) while domestic-only filing has nearly doubled. The domestic share has climbed almost every year of the decade, from 67.9% in 2014 to 77.9% in 2024, meaning a steadily larger proportion of the world's total filing activity is staying home rather than crossing a border.
Which nationalities are most, and least, inclined to file internationally
Domestic share is a direct proxy for how much unmet outbound opportunity exists in a given nationality's applicant base. Looking only at the larger filing nationalities, the two ends of the spectrum are significant.
Most internationally active nationalities in 2024 (highest share filed abroad):
Rank | Country | Filed Abroad | Domestic Share |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 75.9% | 24.1% |
2 | Bulgaria | 72.9% | 27.1% |
3 | Singapore | 72.8% | 27.2% |
4 | Austria | 67.9% | 32.1% |
5 | Sweden | 65.3% | 34.7% |
6 | Belgium | 62.0% | 38.0% |
7 | United Arab Emirates | 59.4% | 40.6% |
8 | Hong Kong | 59.3% | 40.7% |
9 | Netherlands | 58.4% | 41.6% |
10 | Germany | 50.2% | 49.8% |
Most domestically focused nationalities in 2024 (highest share filed only at home):
Rank | Country | Filed Abroad | Domestic Share |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iran | 99.9% | 1.0% |
2 | Indonesia | 98.4% | 1.6% |
3 | Brazil | 98.2% | 1.8% |
4 | Pakistan | 97.8% | 2.2% |
5 | Philippines | 97.4% | 2.6% |
6 | India | 97.3% | 2.7% |
7 | Morocco | 96.2% | 3.8% |
8 | Egypt | 96.1% | 3.9% |
9 | Paraguay | 95.3% | 4.7% |
10 | Peru | 95.1% | 4.9% |
The most internationally active list is dominated by small, trade-integrated economies and regional business hubs, Switzerland, Singapore, the UAE, Hong Kong, where a large share of the applicant base is, by the nature of the market, already thinking beyond its own borders.
The most domestically focused list is a mirror image: large or fast-growing domestic markets, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, where the sheer size of the home market means most businesses never have to look further, at least not yet.
Individual country profiles
The dataset behind this analysis spans well over a hundred countries, far more than we can cover in depth in one place. Twelve of the largest and most active filing nationalities get a dedicated, closer look through their own filing pattern:
What this means for your practice
International filings are nowhere near matching domestic volume, but knowing exactly where that outbound volume sits, and where it doesn't yet exist, is a real strategic edge. Most firms work off instinct or whoever calls; firms that know which nationalities already file internationally, and which are almost entirely untapped, can go find the work instead of waiting for it.
Some nationalities already file abroad as a matter of course, while others tend to focus on their home markets. Knowing which is which lets a firm target outreach and correspondent relationships deliberately, rather than treating every market the same way.
Once a target market is identified, the next question is how to file into it, through Madrid or directly. Trama's WIPO cost and risk calculator compares Madrid's total cost against direct filing fees for specific target countries, alongside the documented office action risk in each, turning a general opportunity into a concrete, client-ready recommendation.
