Annual patent applications in Italy
Italy: Annual patent applications was 10,281 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Annual patent applications in Italy, 1980–2021
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2021, annual patent applications in Italy stood at 10,281. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications in Italy peaked at 10,281 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2,000, in 1985.
That places Italy 10th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Annual patent applications in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6,369 | — |
| 1985 | 2,000 | -68.6% |
| 1988 | 2,289 | +14.4% |
| 1992 | 7,568 | +230.6% |
| 1993 | 7,493 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 7,872 | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 6,997 | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 6,281 | -10.2% |
| 2000 | 7,877 | +25.4% |
| 2007 | 9,255 | +17.5% |
| 2008 | 8,588 | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 8,814 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 8,877 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 8,794 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 8,439 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 8,307 | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 8,601 | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 8,848 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 8,643 | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 8,921 | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 9,229 | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 10,061 | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 10,281 | +2.2% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 10,281 is above the median for high income countries, which is 397.5, 25.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Italy's 10,281 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 276, 37.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual patent applications in Italy changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +230.6% | 2,289 | 7,568 |
| 1985 | -68.6% | 6,369 | 2,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,553 | 2,000 | 6,369 | 3 |
| 1990s | 7,242 | 6,281 | 7,872 | 5 |
| 2000s | 8,634 | 7,877 | 9,255 | 4 |
| 2010s | 8,740 | 8,307 | 9,229 | 9 |
| 2020s | 10,171 | 10,061 | 10,281 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More science & technology data for Italy
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 132.57 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.33 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 78.67 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 265.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.5331 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.2689 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 82,771 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0014 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications in Italy?
- Annual patent applications in Italy was 10,281 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 10,281 in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 in 1985.
- How does Italy rank for annual patent applications?
- Italy ranks 10th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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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CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).