Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland

Switzerland: Patent applications, nonresidents was 267 in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
267
Change on year
down 11.3%
World rank
58th
of 150 countries
All-time high
5,613
in 1980
All-time low
267
in 2021
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland, 1980–2021

02.0k4.0k6.0k1980200020211980: 5.6k1981: 4.4k1982: 3.6k1983: 3.0k1984: 2.7k1985: 2.3k1986: 2.0k1987: 1.8k1988: 1.6k1989: 1.4k1990: 1.1k1991: 8931992: 9031993: 8741994: 8921995: 8301996: 7181997: 6201998: 5641999: 5352000: 4682001: 5942002: 4662003: 3962004: 4342005: 4552006: 3622007: 3422008: 4392009: 3942010: 5332011: 4462012: 1.5k2013: 6312014: 5682015: 4462016: 3092017: 2912018: 3322019: 3482020: 3012021: 267

Source: WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans.

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 267 for patent applications, nonresidents in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and down 40.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland peaked at 5,613 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 267, in 2021.

That places Switzerland 58th out of 150 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland, 1980 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1980 5,613
1981 4,430 -21.1%
1982 3,637 -17.9%
1983 3,038 -16.5%
1984 2,714 -10.7%
1985 2,281 -16.0%
1986 1,954 -14.3%
1987 1,764 -9.7%
1988 1,556 -11.8%
1989 1,371 -11.9%
1990 1,081 -21.2%
1991 893 -17.4%
1992 903 +1.1%
1993 874 -3.2%
1994 892 +2.1%
1995 830 -7.0%
1996 718 -13.5%
1997 620 -13.6%
1998 564 -9.0%
1999 535 -5.1%
2000 468 -12.5%
2001 594 +26.9%
2002 466 -21.5%
2003 396 -15.0%
2004 434 +9.6%
2005 455 +4.8%
2006 362 -20.4%
2007 342 -5.5%
2008 439 +28.4%
2009 394 -10.3%
2010 533 +35.3%
2011 446 -16.3%
2012 1,508 +238.1%
2013 631 -58.2%
2014 568 -10.0%
2015 446 -21.5%
2016 309 -30.7%
2017 291 -5.8%
2018 332 +14.1%
2019 348 +4.8%
2020 301 -13.5%
2021 267 -11.3%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 267 is above the median for high income countries, which is 267, 1.0× the median. (61 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 267 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 59, 4.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland 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.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +238.1% 446 1,508

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2,836 1,371 5,613 10
1990s 791 535 1,081 10
2000s 435 342 594 10
2010s 541.2 291 1,508 10
2020s 284 267 301 2

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 55 Jordan 322 compare
  2. 56 Sri Lanka 273 compare
  3. 57 Tunisia 271 compare
  4. 59 Uzbekistan 252 compare
  5. 60 Guatemala 249 compare
  6. 61 Cambodia 248 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More science & technology data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland?
Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland was 267 in 2021, according to WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans.
What is the highest patent applications, nonresidents recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 5,613 in 1980.
What is the lowest patent applications, nonresidents recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 267 in 2021.
How does Switzerland rank for patent applications, nonresidents?
Switzerland ranks 58th out of 150 countries with data for 2021.
Is patent applications, nonresidents rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Switzerland data come from?
The figures come from WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans, published as part of Patent applications, nonresidents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Patent applications, nonresidents in Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/patent-applications-nonresidents/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Patent applications, nonresidents
Source
WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,548 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed

Patent applications are worldwide patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedure or with a national patent office for exclusive rights for an invention--a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.