Life science patents granted, by filing office by country
Patents granted within the fields of medical technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals by filing office. These patents cover a wide range of innovations, such as medical devices, diagnostic methods, genetic engineering techniques, biotechnological processes and new drugs.
What the numbers show
Life science patents granted, by filing office is currently reported for 70 countries. The highest value is 61,617 patents in China; the lowest is 0 patents in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The median across all reporting countries is 16 patents, and the mean is 2,086 patents.
Over the past decade 17 countries rose and 35 fell. The largest increase was in Luxembourg (up 4,416.7%), and the largest decrease in Russia (down 100.0%).
Life science patents granted, by filing office: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 61,617 patents | 2023 | up 164.9% | volatile |
| 2 | United States | 31,977 patents | 2023 | up 16.9% | volatile |
| 3 | Japan | 19,518 patents | 2023 | up 12.3% | volatile |
| 4 | South Korea | 11,782 patents | 2023 | up 51.4% | volatile |
| 5 | Canada | 5,904 patents | 2023 | up 21.0% | volatile |
| 6 | Australia | 4,775 patents | 2023 | down 19.0% | volatile |
| 7 | India | 3,576 patents | 2023 | up 712.7% | volatile |
| 8 | Brazil | 2,032 patents | 2023 | up 527.2% | volatile |
| 9 | United Kingdom | 749 patents | 2023 | up 119.6% | volatile |
| 10 | Malaysia | 642 patents | 2023 | up 64.2% | volatile |
| 11 | France | 572 patents | 2023 | down 27.8% | falling |
| 12 | Germany | 553 patents | 2023 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 13 | Serbia | 404 patents | 2023 | up 125.7% | volatile |
| 14 | Netherlands | 398 patents | 2023 | up 237.3% | rising |
| 15 | Luxembourg | 271 patents | 2023 | up 4,416.7% | volatile |
| 16 | Poland | 250 patents | 2023 | down 22.8% | rising |
| 17 | Morocco | 201 patents | 2023 | down 19.9% | volatile |
| 18 | Spain | 106 patents | 2023 | down 72.2% | volatile |
| 19 | Czechia | 68 patents | 2023 | down 41.4% | volatile |
| 19 | Belgium | 68 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 21 | Sweden | 46 patents | 2023 | up 17.9% | volatile |
| 22 | Moldova | 44 patents | 2023 | down 15.4% | volatile |
| 23 | Georgia | 42 patents | 2023 | down 49.4% | volatile |
| 24 | Greece | 40 patents | 2023 | up 17.6% | volatile |
| 25 | Romania | 38 patents | 2023 | down 47.9% | falling |
| 26 | Finland | 33 patents | 2023 | down 2.9% | volatile |
| 27 | Denmark | 31 patents | 2023 | up 24.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Austria | 30 patents | 2023 | down 44.4% | volatile |
| 28 | Jordan | 30 patents | 2023 | up 900.0% | volatile |
| 30 | Norway | 29 patents | 2023 | down 88.1% | falling |
| 31 | Switzerland | 28 patents | 2023 | up 16.7% | volatile |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 24 patents | 2023 | down 44.2% | volatile |
| 32 | Cuba | 24 patents | 2023 | down 60.7% | volatile |
| 34 | Hungary | 23 patents | 2023 | down 95.1% | volatile |
| 35 | Bulgaria | 17 patents | 2023 | down 58.5% | volatile |
| 36 | Portugal | 15 patents | 2023 | down 11.8% | volatile |
| 37 | Lithuania | 9 patents | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 37 | Latvia | 9 patents | 2023 | down 43.8% | volatile |
| 37 | Slovakia | 9 patents | 2023 | down 81.6% | volatile |
| 40 | Slovenia | 8 patents | 2023 | down 65.2% | volatile |
| 41 | Ireland | 4 patents | 2023 | down 60.0% | volatile |
| 42 | South Africa | 3 patents | 2023 | down 99.7% | volatile |
| 43 | Israel | 2 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 43 | Estonia | 2 patents | 2023 | down 90.9% | volatile |
| 43 | Croatia | 2 patents | 2023 | down 97.4% | volatile |
| 46 | Monaco | 1 patents | 2023 | unchanged | volatile |
| 46 | Ukraine | 1 patents | 2023 | down 99.8% | volatile |
| 48 | Vietnam | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | San Marino | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Argentina | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Singapore | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Tajikistan | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Turkey | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Zimbabwe | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | USSR | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Russia | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Philippines | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Nicaragua | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Mongolia | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Montenegro | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Malta | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Mexico | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Kenya | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Italy | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Iceland | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Indonesia | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Hong Kong | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Egypt | 0 patents | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Chile | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 48 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 patents | 2023 | — | volatile |
About this data
Patents granted within the fields of medical technology, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals by filing office. These patents cover a wide range of innovations, such as medical devices, diagnostic methods, genetic engineering techniques, biotechnological processes and new drugs.