Annual patent applications in Finland

Finland: Annual patent applications was 1,557 in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
1,557
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
24th
of 135 countries
All-time high
2,579
in 2000
All-time low
1,260
in 2016
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Annual patent applications in Finland, 1980–2021

01.0k2.0k3.0k1980200020211980: 1.4k1981: 1.4k1982: 1.6k1983: 1.7k1984: 1.8k1985: 1.7k1986: 1.8k1987: 1.9k1988: 2.0k1989: 1.9k1990: 2.1k1991: 2.1k1992: 2.1k1993: 2.2k1994: 2.3k1995: 2.1k1996: 2.2k1997: 2.4k1998: 2.5k1999: 2.5k2000: 2.6k2001: 2.4k2002: 2.2k2003: 2.0k2004: 2.0k2005: 1.8k2006: 1.8k2007: 1.8k2008: 1.8k2009: 1.8k2010: 1.7k2011: 1.6k2012: 1.7k2013: 1.6k2014: 1.4k2015: 1.3k2016: 1.3k2017: 1.4k2018: 1.4k2019: 1.3k2020: 1.6k2021: 1.6k

Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2021, annual patent applications in Finland stood at 1,557.

That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications in Finland peaked at 2,579 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1,260, in 2016.

Finland ranks 24th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1,718 1,356 1,981 10
1990s 2,228 2,052 2,511 10
2000s 2,017 1,799 2,579 10
2010s 1,474 1,260 1,731 10
2020s 1,572 1,557 1,588 2

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 21 South Africa 1,804 compare
  2. 22 Sweden 1,771 compare
  3. 23 Israel 1,592 compare
  4. 25 Saudi Arabia 1,398 compare
  5. 26 Indonesia 1,397 compare
  6. 27 Spain 1,308 compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications in Finland?
Annual patent applications in Finland was 1,557 in 2021, according to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual patent applications recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 2,579 in 2000.
What is the lowest annual patent applications recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,260 in 2016.
How does Finland rank for annual patent applications?
Finland ranks 24th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Finland data come from?
The figures come from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual patent applications. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual patent applications
Source
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
135 places, 3,804 data points, 1980–2021
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