South Korea Ranks in the Top 10 Globally in International Intellectual Property Index

South Korea ranked 10th overall in the International Intellectual Property Index.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on April 24 that South Korea placed 10th out of 55 countries in the "2025 International Intellectual Property Index," recently published by the Global Innovation Policy Center under the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The International Intellectual Property Index ranks countries by aggregating 53 detailed indicators across 10 categories, including patent rights, trademark rights, trade secrets, IP enforcement, system efficiency, and participation in international treaties.

Over the years, South Korea has steadily improved its standing in the index, ranking 13th in 2019 and 2020, 12th from 2021 to 2023, and 11th last year. In particular, the country has excelled in certain individual indicators, ranking 2nd in patent rights for eight consecutive years and 1st in system efficiency for six consecutive years.

This year, South Korea's ranking in the trade secret protection category rose by seven places from 16th last year to 9th, helping the country break into the top 10 overall. This improvement is attributed to the international community's positive assessment of the country's efforts to significantly strengthen penalties and damages for trade secret infringement through last year's amendment to the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

KIPO amended the Unfair Competition Prevention Act on February 20 last year. Key changes included raising the cap on punitive damages for trade secret infringement from three times to five times the actual damages, and increasing the maximum fine for corporations to three times that of the individual perpetrator.

The United States ranked first in the global International Intellectual Property Index, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Sweden. In Asia, Japan ranked 7th and China ranked 24th.

Shin Sangkon, Director General of the Industrial Property Protection and Cooperation Bureau at KIPO, stated, "Intellectual property serves as a driving force for industrial development and can also be a valuable asset in trade negotiations. In this regard, the results of this announcement are positive. KIPO will continue to promote the commercialization of intellectual property through the 'Premium Patent' strategy and strive to elevate South Korea's intellectual property standards to the highest level in the world."