Korea vs North America: Patent applications, nonresidents

Korea
51,753
in 2021
North America
357,699
in 2020
Korea rank
4th
North America rank
3rd

Patent applications, nonresidents over time

  • Korea
  • North America
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k198020002021

How they compare

North America currently reports 357,699 against 51,753 in Korea, a difference of 305,946.

That makes North America's figure about 6.9 times Korea's.

Across all 41 years both countries report, North America has been ahead every year.

Korea ranks 4th and North America ranks 3rd of 150 countries.

North America has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Korea North America Difference Ahead
1980s 8,345 79,894 71,550 North America
1990s 19,477 121,879 102,402 North America
2000s 35,578 215,798 180,219 North America
2010s 44,311 323,999 279,688 North America
2020s 46,282 357,699 311,417 North America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, nonresidents, Korea or North America?
North America, at 357,699 against 51,753 in Korea as of 2020.
What is the difference in patent applications, nonresidents between Korea and North America?
305,946, with North America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Korea and North America?
41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
How do Korea and North America rank globally for patent applications, nonresidents?
Korea ranks 4th and North America ranks 3rd of 150 countries.
Where does this data come from?
WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans, published as Patent applications, nonresidents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Korea vs North America: Patent applications, nonresidents. Statizoid, drawing on WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/patent-applications-nonresidents/korea-rep/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Patent applications, nonresidents
Source
WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,548 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed

Patent applications are worldwide patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedure or with a national patent office for exclusive rights for an invention--a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.