Germany vs South Korea: Patent applications, residents

Germany
39,822
in 2021
South Korea
186,245
in 2021
Germany rank
5th
South Korea rank
4th

Patent applications, residents over time

  • Germany
  • South Korea
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k198020002021

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 186,245 against 39,822 in Germany, a difference of 146,423.

That makes South Korea's figure about 4.7 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 42 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Germany ahead.

Germany ranks 5th and South Korea ranks 4th of 135 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 1 and South Korea in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany South Korea Difference Ahead
1980s 31,188 3,164 28,024 Germany
1990s 38,978 38,985 6.6 South Korea
2000s 48,692 104,947 56,255 South Korea
2010s 47,306 156,597 109,291 South Korea
2020s 41,041 183,361 142,320 South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, residents, Germany or South Korea?
South Korea, at 186,245 against 39,822 in Germany as of 2021.
What is the difference in patent applications, residents between Germany and South Korea?
146,423, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
42 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2021.
How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for patent applications, residents?
Germany ranks 5th and South Korea ranks 4th 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.