Life science patents granted, by technology in Australia
Australia: Life science patents granted, by technology was 1,746 patents in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1,746 patents
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
6th
of 65 countries
All-time high
2,351 patents
in 2016
All-time low
277 patents
in 1984
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Life science patents granted, by technology in Australia, 1980–2023
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in patents.
Analysis
In 2023, life science patents granted, by technology in Australia stood at 1,746 patents.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life science patents granted, by technology in Australia peaked at 2,351 patents in 2016 and was at its lowest, 277 patents, in 1984.
Australia ranks 6th of 65 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Life science patents granted, by technology in Australia, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 330 patents | — |
| 1981 | 304 patents | -7.9% |
| 1982 | 281 patents | -7.6% |
| 1983 | 327 patents | +16.4% |
| 1984 | 277 patents | -15.3% |
| 1985 | 278 patents | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 424 patents | +52.5% |
| 1987 | 586 patents | +38.2% |
| 1988 | 551 patents | -6.0% |
| 1989 | 633 patents | +14.9% |
| 1990 | 847 patents | +33.8% |
| 1991 | 1,045 patents | +23.4% |
| 1992 | 1,103 patents | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 1,028 patents | -6.8% |
| 1994 | 832 patents | -19.1% |
| 1995 | 793 patents | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 739 patents | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 922 patents | +24.8% |
| 1998 | 1,451 patents | +57.4% |
| 1999 | 1,485 patents | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 1,313 patents | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 1,379 patents | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 1,377 patents | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 1,464 patents | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 1,437 patents | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 1,319 patents | -8.2% |
| 2006 | 1,245 patents | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 1,274 patents | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 1,605 patents | +26.0% |
| 2009 | 1,568 patents | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 1,618 patents | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 2,095 patents | +29.5% |
| 2012 | 2,198 patents | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 2,237 patents | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 2,130 patents | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 2,029 patents | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 2,351 patents | +15.9% |
| 2017 | 2,323 patents | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 1,837 patents | -20.9% |
| 2019 | 1,866 patents | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 2,021 patents | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 2,044 patents | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1,713 patents | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 1,746 patents | +1.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1,746 patents is above the median for high income countries, which is 14 patents, 124.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1,746 patents is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 343 patents, 5.1× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 399.1 patents | 277 patents | 633 patents | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,024 patents | 739 patents | 1,485 patents | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,398 patents | 1,245 patents | 1,605 patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,068 patents | 1,618 patents | 2,351 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,881 patents | 1,713 patents | 2,044 patents | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More science & technology data for Australia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 112.58 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.11 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 30.07 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 3.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.0604 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 54,589 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life science patents granted, by technology in Australia?
- Life science patents granted, by technology in Australia was 1,746 patents in 2023, according to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life science patents granted, by technology recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2,351 patents in 2016.
- What is the lowest life science patents granted, by technology recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 277 patents in 1984.
- How does Australia rank for life science patents granted, by technology?
- Australia ranks 6th out of 65 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life science patents granted, by technology rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life science patents granted, by technology. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of pharmaceutical patents granted by the filing office in a given year. Pharmaceutical patents typically cover new drugs, biological treatments or vaccines.