China vs World: Patent applications, residents
Patent applications, residents over time
- China
- World
How they compare
World currently reports 2.70 million against 1.67 million in China, a difference of 1.03 million.
That makes World's figure about 1.6 times China's.
Across all 40 years both countries report, World has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st of 139 countries.
World has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4,213 | 691,760 | 687,547 | World |
| 1990s | 11,019 | 691,170 | 680,151 | World |
| 2000s | 101,028 | 1.00 million | 902,572 | World |
| 2010s | 880,661 | 1.88 million | 996,559 | World |
| 2020s | 1.49 million | 2.48 million | 992,750 | World |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher patent applications, residents, China or World?
- World, at 2.70 million against 1.67 million in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in patent applications, residents between China and World?
- 1.03 million, with World ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and World?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2024.
- How do China and World rank globally for patent applications, residents?
- China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st 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.