China accounts for 43 percent of the total number of global nanotechnology patents authorized over the past 25 years, putting it in first place in the world, according to a white paper released Sunday.
Between 2000 and 2025, more than 1.07 million nanotechnology patents were granted globally, with China holding 464,000. China's share exceeds the total from the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea, according to White Paper: China Nanotechnology Industry 2025, which was released at the Nanotechnology Industry Forum held in Beijing.
China's patent portfolio primarily focuses on key areas including semiconductor devices, catalytic chemistry, biomedicine and new materials. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Suzhou lead in semiconductors, while biomedical patents are concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the white paper said.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks first among global patent holders with 23,400 patents. The transfer and licensing rate of nanotechnology patents in China exceeded 8 percent, reflecting the continuous improvement of commercialization efficiency.
As of May 2025, the number of nanotechnology enterprises in China exceeded 34,500, with 739 listed companies and a cumulative employment of 9.92 million people. The global nanotechnology market is expected to grow to $1.5 trillion by the end of 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of over 17 percent from 2018 to 2025, according to the white paper.
The Industrial Forum is one of the sub-forums of the 10. International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology, held in Beijing from Saturday to Monday and hosted by the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China.
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