Norway vs Sweden: Annual patent applications per million people
Norway
174.92 applications per million people
in 2021
Sweden
170.03 applications per million people
in 2021
Norway rank
15th
Sweden rank
18th
Annual patent applications per million people over time
- Norway
- Sweden
How they compare
Norway currently reports 174.92 applications per million people against 170.03 applications per million people in Sweden, a difference of 4.89 applications per million people.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Sweden ahead.
Norway ranks 15th and Sweden ranks 18th of 135 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 1 and Sweden in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 205.48 applications per million people | 452.21 applications per million people | 246.73 applications per million people | Sweden |
| 1990s | 254.65 applications per million people | 428.5 applications per million people | 173.84 applications per million people | Sweden |
| 2000s | 254.67 applications per million people | 327.56 applications per million people | 72.89 applications per million people | Sweden |
| 2010s | 214.56 applications per million people | 210.09 applications per million people | 4.48 applications per million people | Norway |
| 2020s | 169.25 applications per million people | 170.2 applications per million people | 0.9535 applications per million people | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual patent applications per million people, Norway or Sweden?
- Norway, at 174.92 applications per million people against 170.03 applications per million people in Sweden as of 2021.
- What is the difference in annual patent applications per million people between Norway and Sweden?
- 4.89 applications per million people, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Sweden?
- 42 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2021.
- How do Norway and Sweden rank globally for annual patent applications per million people?
- Norway ranks 15th and Sweden ranks 18th of 135 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World i, published as Annual patent applications per million people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.