Life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium
Belgium: Life science patents granted, by filing office was 68 patents in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium, 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 filing office in Belgium stood at 68 patents.
The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 21.8% over five years.
Over the whole period, life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium peaked at 506 patents in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0 patents, in 1988.
That places Belgium 19th out of 70 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 506 patents | — |
| 1981 | 418 patents | -17.4% |
| 1982 | 320 patents | -23.4% |
| 1983 | 302 patents | -5.6% |
| 1984 | 248 patents | -17.9% |
| 1985 | 240 patents | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 190 patents | -20.8% |
| 1987 | 83 patents | -56.3% |
| 1988 | 0 patents | -100.0% |
| 1989 | 0 patents | — |
| 1990 | 0 patents | — |
| 1991 | 0 patents | — |
| 1992 | 1 patents | — |
| 1993 | 0 patents | -100.0% |
| 1994 | 0 patents | — |
| 1995 | 0 patents | — |
| 1996 | 0 patents | — |
| 1997 | 0 patents | — |
| 1998 | 0 patents | — |
| 1999 | 0 patents | — |
| 2000 | 0 patents | — |
| 2001 | 0 patents | — |
| 2002 | 0 patents | — |
| 2003 | 1 patents | — |
| 2004 | 0 patents | -100.0% |
| 2005 | 0 patents | — |
| 2006 | 0 patents | — |
| 2007 | 0 patents | — |
| 2008 | 0 patents | — |
| 2009 | 0 patents | — |
| 2010 | 0 patents | — |
| 2011 | 0 patents | — |
| 2012 | 0 patents | — |
| 2013 | 0 patents | — |
| 2014 | 1 patents | — |
| 2015 | 62 patents | +6100.0% |
| 2016 | 113 patents | +82.3% |
| 2017 | 82 patents | -27.4% |
| 2018 | 87 patents | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 45 patents | -48.3% |
| 2020 | 80 patents | +77.8% |
| 2021 | 57 patents | -28.7% |
| 2022 | 71 patents | +24.6% |
| 2023 | 68 patents | -4.2% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 68 patents is above the median for high income countries, which is 28 patents, 2.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 68 patents is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 25.5 patents, 2.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +6100.0% | 1 patents | 62 patents |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 230.7 patents | 0 patents | 506 patents | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1 patents | 0 patents | 1 patents | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1 patents | 0 patents | 1 patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 39 patents | 0 patents | 113 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 69 patents | 57 patents | 80 patents | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More science & technology data for Belgium
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 103.91 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.03 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 12.20 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 396.38 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.687 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.9084 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 412 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 412 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium?
- Life science patents granted, by filing office in Belgium was 68 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 filing office recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 506 patents in 1980.
- What is the lowest life science patents granted, by filing office recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 patents in 1988.
- How does Belgium rank for life science patents granted, by filing office?
- Belgium ranks 19th out of 70 countries with data for 2023.
- Where does this Belgium 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 filing office. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.