Germany vs United States of America: Patent applications to the EPO by priority year

Germany
18,882
in 2017
United States of America
36,903
in 2014
Germany rank
3rd
United States of America rank
1st

Patent applications to the EPO by priority year over time

  • Germany
  • United States of America
010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k197819972017

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 36,903 against 18,882 in Germany, a difference of 18,021.

That makes United States of America's figure about 2.0 times Germany's.

Across all 36 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.

Germany ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 1st of 47 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany United States of America Difference Ahead
1970s 4,986 5,005 19.41 United States of America
1980s 8,994 11,281 2,288 United States of America
1990s 14,486 22,144 7,658 United States of America
2000s 23,051 33,445 10,395 United States of America
2010s 22,104 33,840 11,736 United States of America

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher patent applications to the epo by priority year, Germany or United States of America?
United States of America, at 36,903 against 18,882 in Germany as of 2014.
What is the difference in patent applications to the epo by priority year between Germany and United States of America?
18,021, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States of America?
36 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2014.
How do Germany and United States of America rank globally for patent applications to the epo by priority year?
Germany ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 1st of 47 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Eurostat, published as Patent applications to the EPO by priority year (1977-2017). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Germany vs United States of America: Patent applications to the EPO by priority year. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/patent-applications-to-the-epo-by-priority-year-1977-2017/germany/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Patent applications to the EPO by priority year (1977-2017)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
54 places, 1,866 data points, 1978–2017
Last refreshed