Australia vs Canada: Life science patents granted, by technology
Australia
1,746 patents
in 2023
Canada
2,144 patents
in 2023
Australia rank
6th
Canada rank
5th
Life science patents granted, by technology over time
- Australia
- Canada
How they compare
Canada currently reports 2,144 patents against 1,746 patents in Australia, a difference of 398 patents.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.2 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Canada ahead.
Australia ranks 6th and Canada ranks 5th of 64 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 4 and Canada in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | Canada | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 399.1 patents | 508.6 patents | 109.5 patents | Canada |
| 1990s | 1,024 patents | 443.3 patents | 581.2 patents | Australia |
| 2000s | 1,398 patents | 874.8 patents | 523.3 patents | Australia |
| 2010s | 2,068 patents | 1,777 patents | 291.5 patents | Australia |
| 2020s | 1,881 patents | 1,736 patents | 144.5 patents | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life science patents granted, by technology, Australia or Canada?
- Canada, at 2,144 patents against 1,746 patents in Australia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in life science patents granted, by technology between Australia and Canada?
- 398 patents, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Canada?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2023.
- How do Australia and Canada rank globally for life science patents granted, by technology?
- Australia ranks 6th and Canada ranks 5th of 64 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Life science patents granted, by technology. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of pharmaceutical patents granted by the filing office in a given year. Pharmaceutical patents typically cover new drugs, biological treatments or vaccines.