North America vs United States: Patent applications, nonresidents

North America
357,699
in 2020
United States
329,229
in 2021
North America rank
3rd
United States rank
1st

Patent applications, nonresidents over time

  • North America
  • United States
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k198020002021

How they compare

North America currently reports 357,699 against 329,229 in United States, a difference of 28,470.

That makes North America's figure about 1.1 times United States's.

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

North America ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 12 groups.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade North America United States Difference Ahead
1980s 79,894 54,209 25,685 North America
1990s 121,879 96,464 25,415 North America
2000s 215,798 180,895 34,903 North America
2010s 323,999 292,836 31,163 North America
2020s 357,699 327,586 30,113 North America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, nonresidents, North America or United States?
North America, at 357,699 against 329,229 in United States as of 2020.
What is the difference in patent applications, nonresidents between North America and United States?
28,470, with North America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North America and United States?
41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
How do North America and United States rank globally for patent applications, nonresidents?
North America ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 12 groups.
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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North America vs United States: 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 23 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/patent-applications-nonresidents/north-america/united-states/

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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.