In 2024, more than 199,000 patents were filed in Europe (ref). Patents are often seen as an indirect measure of innovation, even though some inventions are not patented and not all patents are breakthroughs.

Of these patent applications, only around 25% of patent applications list at least one woman inventor, reflecting wider inequalities in STEM (ref).

Spain is a notable outlier, with over 40% of patents including one or more women inventors. Research suggests this is partly due to Spain’s technology mix and the strong role of universities and public research organisations (ref). These institutions, especially in fields like chemistry, consistently show higher participation by women than private companies or individual inventors.