Israel vs South Africa: Life science patents granted, by filing office

Israel
2 patents
in 2023
South Africa
3 patents
in 2023
Israel rank
43rd
South Africa rank
42nd

Life science patents granted, by filing office over time

  • Israel
  • South Africa
05001.0k1.5k2.0k198020012023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 3 patents against 2 patents in Israel, a difference of 1 patents.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.5 times Israel's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.

Israel ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 42nd of 70 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Israel averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Israel South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 0 patents 777.7 patents 777.7 patents South Africa
1990s 0 patents 1,100 patents 1,100 patents South Africa
2000s 0 patents 1,283 patents 1,283 patents South Africa
2010s 19.6 patents 559.6 patents 540 patents South Africa
2020s 337.5 patents 16 patents 321.5 patents Israel

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life science patents granted, by filing office, Israel or South Africa?
South Africa, at 3 patents against 2 patents in Israel as of 2023.
What is the difference in life science patents granted, by filing office between Israel and South Africa?
1 patents, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Africa?
44 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2023.
How do Israel and South Africa rank globally for life science patents granted, by filing office?
Israel ranks 43rd and South Africa ranks 42nd of 70 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 filing office. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Israel vs South Africa: Life science patents granted, by filing office. Statizoid, drawing on World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/medicine-and-biotechnology-patents-granted-by-filing-office/israel/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/medicine-and-biotechnology-patents-granted-by-filing-office/israel/south-africa/">Israel vs South Africa: Life science patents granted, by filing office</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Life science patents granted, by filing office
Unit
patents
Source
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
70 places, 3,080 data points, 1980–2023
Last refreshed

Patents granted within the fields of medical technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals by filing office. These patents cover a wide range of innovations, such as medical devices, diagnostic methods, genetic engineering techniques, biotechnological processes and new drugs.