Annual patent applications in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Annual patent applications was 8 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Annual patent applications in Zimbabwe, 1980–2016
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2016, annual patent applications in Zimbabwe stood at 8. That is the lowest value across all 18 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.1% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications in Zimbabwe peaked at 60 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 8, in 2016.
Zimbabwe ranks 106th of 135 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Annual patent applications in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 39 | — |
| 1981 | 35 | -10.3% |
| 1982 | 41 | +17.1% |
| 1983 | 40 | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 34 | -15.0% |
| 1985 | 38 | +11.8% |
| 1986 | 47 | +23.7% |
| 1987 | 41 | -12.8% |
| 1988 | 38 | -7.3% |
| 1989 | 39 | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 44 | +12.8% |
| 1991 | 60 | +36.4% |
| 1992 | 42 | -30.0% |
| 1993 | 44 | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 55 | +25.0% |
| 1996 | 28 | -49.1% |
| 2015 | 9 | -67.9% |
| 2016 | 8 | -11.1% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 8 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47, 17% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 8 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.2 | 34 | 47 | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.5 | 28 | 60 | 6 |
| 2010s | 8.5 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More science & technology data for Zimbabwe
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 94.25 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.9425 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 15.68 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 38.71 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 519.85 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications in Zimbabwe?
- Annual patent applications in Zimbabwe was 8 in 2016, 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 60 in 1991.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 2016.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for annual patent applications?
- Zimbabwe ranks 106th out of 135 countries with data for 2016.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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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