Italy vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Patent applications, residents

Italy
10,281
in 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa
1,834
in 2020
Italy rank
10th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
11th

Patent applications, residents over time

  • Italy
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k198020002021

How they compare

Italy currently reports 10,281 against 1,834 in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 8,447.

That makes Italy's figure about 5.6 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 22 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 135 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 4 and Sub-Saharan Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 3,553 4,067 514 Sub-Saharan Africa
1990s 7,242 823.8 6,418 Italy
2000s 8,634 1,127 7,506 Italy
2010s 8,740 1,378 7,362 Italy
2020s 10,061 1,834 8,227 Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, residents, Italy or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Italy, at 10,281 against 1,834 in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2021.
What is the difference in patent applications, residents between Italy and Sub-Saharan Africa?
8,447, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Sub-Saharan Africa?
22 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
How do Italy and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for patent applications, residents?
Italy ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th 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.

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Italy vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Patent applications, residents. Statizoid, drawing on 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. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/patent-applications-residents/italy/sub-saharan-africa/

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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.