diff --git a/hooks/conan-center.py b/hooks/conan-center.py
index 8cdbaef5..0f8beaa9 100644
--- a/hooks/conan-center.py
+++ b/hooks/conan-center.py
@@ -922,10 +922,12 @@ def test(out):
         conandata_yml = load_yml(conandata_path)
 
         if not conandata_yml:
-            return
+            conandata_yml = {}
 
-        if 'sources' not in conandata_yml or 'patches' not in conandata_yml:
-            return
+        if 'sources' not in conandata_yml:
+            conandata_yml['sources'] = {}
+        if 'patches' not in conandata_yml:
+            conandata_yml['patches'] = {}
 
         versions_conandata = conandata_yml['sources'].keys()
         versions_patches = conandata_yml['patches'].keys()
@@ -943,6 +945,28 @@ def test(out):
                     continue
                 if not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(export_folder_path, patch['patch_file'])):
                     out.error("The patch file '{}' does not exist.".format(patch['patch_file']))
+        
+        patches_path = os.path.join(export_folder_path, "patches")
+        unused_patches: list[str] = []
+        if os.path.isdir(patches_path):
+            unused_patches.extend(
+                os.path.join(root[len(patches_path) + 1:], f)
+                for root, _, files in os.walk(patches_path) for f in files)
+        unused_patches.sort()
+        for patches in conandata_yml["patches"].values():
+            if not isinstance(patches, list):
+                continue
+            for patch in patches:
+                if 'patch_file' not in patch:
+                    continue
+                patch_file_name = str(patch["patch_file"])
+                patch_file_name = os.path.relpath(patch_file_name)  # fixes the path (double slashes for example)
+                patch_file_name = patch_file_name[8:]
+                if patch_file_name in unused_patches:
+                    unused_patches.remove(patch_file_name)
+        if unused_patches:
+            patches_str = ", ".join(f"patches/{patch}" for patch in unused_patches)
+            out.error(f"Following patch file(s) are/is not referenced in conandata.yml: {patches_str}")
 
 
 @raise_if_error_output
diff --git a/tests/test_hooks/conan-center/test_conan-center.py b/tests/test_hooks/conan-center/test_conan-center.py
index 111647b8..09e6e91c 100644
--- a/tests/test_hooks/conan-center/test_conan-center.py
+++ b/tests/test_hooks/conan-center/test_conan-center.py
@@ -1248,3 +1248,22 @@ def test_dangling_patches(self):
         output = self.conan(['export', 'all', 'name/version@user/test'])
         self.assertIn("The patch file 'patches/patch.diff' does not exist.",
                       output)
+                      
+        conandata = textwrap.dedent("""
+                                    sources:
+                                        1.0:
+                                            url: fakeurl
+                                            md5: 12323423423
+                        """)
+
+        tools.save(os.path.join("all", "conandata.yml"), content=conandata)
+        output = self.conan(['export', 'all', 'name/version@user/test'])
+        self.assertNotIn("Following patch file(s) are/is not referenced in conandata.yml",
+                         output)
+
+        tools.save(os.path.join("all", "patches", "patch.diff"), content="")
+        output = self.conan(['export', 'all', 'name/version@user/test'])
+        self.assertIn("Following patch file(s) are/is not referenced in conandata.yml: patches/patch.diff",
+                      output)
+
+