Sub-Saharan Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Patent applications, residents

Sub-Saharan Africa
1,834
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
11,592
in 2021
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
11th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
9th

Patent applications, residents over time

  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k198020002021

How they compare

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 11,592 against 1,834 in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 9,758.

That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 6.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

Across all 41 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 9th of 12 groups.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sub-Saharan Africa United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Difference Ahead
1980s 4,185 19,986 15,801 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1990s 814 19,011 18,197 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2000s 1,075 18,890 17,815 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2010s 1,392 14,334 12,942 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
2020s 1,834 11,990 10,156 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications, residents, Sub-Saharan Africa or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 11,592 against 1,834 in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2021.
What is the difference in patent applications, residents between Sub-Saharan Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
9,758, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sub-Saharan Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
41 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
How do Sub-Saharan Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for patent applications, residents?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 9th of 12 groups.
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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Sub-Saharan Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: 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 24 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/patent-applications-residents/sub-saharan-africa/united-kingdom/

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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.