Germany vs Japan: Patent applications, residents

Germany
39,822
in 2021
Japan
222,452
in 2021
Germany rank
5th
Japan rank
3rd

Patent applications, residents over time

  • Germany
  • Japan
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k198020002021

How they compare

Japan currently reports 222,452 against 39,822 in Germany, a difference of 182,630.

That makes Japan's figure about 5.6 times Germany's.

Across all 40 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Germany ranks 5th and Japan ranks 3rd of 135 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany Japan Difference Ahead
1980s 31,422 268,962 237,540 Japan
1990s 38,978 340,455 301,476 Japan
2000s 48,692 354,413 305,721 Japan
2010s 47,306 268,074 220,768 Japan
2020s 41,041 224,900 183,859 Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, residents, Germany or Japan?
Japan, at 222,452 against 39,822 in Germany as of 2021.
What is the difference in patent applications, residents between Germany and Japan?
182,630, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Japan?
40 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2021.
How do Germany and Japan rank globally for patent applications, residents?
Germany ranks 5th and Japan ranks 3rd of 135 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

Indicator
Patent applications, residents
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
147 places, 4,224 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.