Germany vs North America: Patent applications, residents

Germany
39,822
in 2021
North America
274,038
in 2020
Germany rank
5th
North America rank
5th

Patent applications, residents over time

  • Germany
  • North America
0100.0k200.0k300.0k198020002021

How they compare

North America currently reports 274,038 against 39,822 in Germany, a difference of 234,216.

That makes North America's figure about 6.9 times Germany's.

Across all 41 years both countries report, North America has been ahead every year.

Germany ranks 5th and North America ranks 5th of 135 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany North America Difference Ahead
1980s 31,188 68,623 37,435 North America
1990s 38,978 114,213 75,235 North America
2000s 48,692 207,963 159,271 North America
2010s 47,306 282,298 234,992 North America
2020s 42,260 274,038 231,778 North America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, residents, Germany or North America?
North America, at 274,038 against 39,822 in Germany as of 2020.
What is the difference in patent applications, residents between Germany and North America?
234,216, with North America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and North America?
41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
How do Germany and North America rank globally for patent applications, residents?
Germany ranks 5th and North America ranks 5th 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.