Annual patent applications in France
France: Annual patent applications was 13,386 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
13,386
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
8th
of 135 countries
All-time high
14,748
in 2010
All-time low
10,681
in 1982
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications in France, 1980–2021
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
France recorded 13,386 for annual patent applications in 2021.
That represents a change of up 4.8% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications in France peaked at 14,748 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 10,681, in 1982.
That places France 8th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Annual patent applications in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11,000 | — |
| 1981 | 10,945 | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 10,681 | -2.4% |
| 1983 | 11,147 | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 11,333 | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 12,050 | +6.3% |
| 1986 | 12,155 | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 12,695 | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 12,437 | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 12,592 | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 12,378 | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 12,597 | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 12,539 | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 12,638 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 12,519 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 12,419 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 12,916 | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 13,252 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 13,251 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 13,592 | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 13,870 | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 13,499 | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 13,519 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 13,511 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 14,230 | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 14,327 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 14,529 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 14,722 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 14,658 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 14,100 | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 14,748 | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 14,655 | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 14,540 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 14,690 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 14,500 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 14,306 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 14,206 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 14,415 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 14,303 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 14,103 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 12,771 | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 13,386 | +4.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 13,386 is above the median for high income countries, which is 397.5, 33.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- France's 13,386 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 276, 48.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11,704 | 10,681 | 12,695 | 10 |
| 1990s | 12,810 | 12,378 | 13,592 | 10 |
| 2000s | 14,096 | 13,499 | 14,722 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,447 | 14,103 | 14,748 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13,078 | 12,771 | 13,386 | 2 |
Countries ranked near France
More science & technology data for France
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 116.69 (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.13 units per person (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 77.53 million (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 143.85 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.6356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.8809 % change on previous year (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 62,180 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0009 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications in France?
- Annual patent applications in France was 13,386 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 14,748 in 2010.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,681 in 1982.
- How does France rank for annual patent applications?
- France ranks 8th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.
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