China vs United States: Patent applications, residents
Patent applications, residents over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 1.67 million against 270,295 in United States, a difference of 1.40 million.
That makes China's figure about 6.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 40 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 139 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,213 | 70,949 | 66,736 | United States |
| 1990s | 11,019 | 111,226 | 100,207 | United States |
| 2000s | 101,028 | 196,372 | 95,344 | United States |
| 2010s | 880,661 | 285,697 | 594,964 | China |
| 2020s | 1.49 million | 278,577 | 1.21 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher patent applications, residents, China or United States?
- China, at 1.67 million against 270,295 in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in patent applications, residents between China and United States?
- 1.40 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for patent applications, residents?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 139 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, residents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.