Annual patent applications per million people in Canada
Canada: Annual patent applications per million people was 123.17 applications per million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
123.17 applications per million people
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
23rd
of 135 countries
All-time high
169.54 applications per million people
in 2006
All-time low
67.22 applications per million people
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Canada, 1980–2021
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World i. Measured in applications per million people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual patent applications per million people in Canada is 123.17 applications per million people, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 5.2% on the previous year and down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Canada peaked at 169.54 applications per million people in 2006 and was at its lowest, 67.22 applications per million people, in 1980.
That places Canada 23rd out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Annual patent applications per million people in Canada, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 67.22 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 87.19 applications per million people | +29.7% |
| 1982 | 79.63 applications per million people | -8.7% |
| 1983 | 79.51 applications per million people | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 79.12 applications per million people | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 80.95 applications per million people | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 82.8 applications per million people | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 95.55 applications per million people | +15.4% |
| 1988 | 103.47 applications per million people | +8.3% |
| 1989 | 111.12 applications per million people | +7.4% |
| 1990 | 92.05 applications per million people | -17.2% |
| 1991 | 77.82 applications per million people | -15.5% |
| 1992 | 98.94 applications per million people | +27.1% |
| 1993 | 126.3 applications per million people | +27.7% |
| 1994 | 85.52 applications per million people | -32.3% |
| 1995 | 82.96 applications per million people | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 87.23 applications per million people | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 111.82 applications per million people | +28.2% |
| 1998 | 126.31 applications per million people | +13.0% |
| 1999 | 133.58 applications per million people | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 136.45 applications per million people | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 127.75 applications per million people | -6.4% |
| 2002 | 126.25 applications per million people | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 124.17 applications per million people | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 163.78 applications per million people | +31.9% |
| 2005 | 160.75 applications per million people | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 169.54 applications per million people | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 151.97 applications per million people | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 152.22 applications per million people | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 150.67 applications per million people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 133.8 applications per million people | -11.2% |
| 2011 | 138.44 applications per million people | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 135.65 applications per million people | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 130.18 applications per million people | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 118.47 applications per million people | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 119.79 applications per million people | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 112.93 applications per million people | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 110.9 applications per million people | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 117.31 applications per million people | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 112.66 applications per million people | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 117.07 applications per million people | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 123.17 applications per million people | +5.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 123.17 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 2.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 86.66 applications per million people | 67.22 applications per million people | 111.12 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 102.25 applications per million people | 77.82 applications per million people | 133.58 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 146.35 applications per million people | 124.17 applications per million people | 169.54 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 123.01 applications per million people | 110.9 applications per million people | 138.44 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 120.12 applications per million people | 117.07 applications per million people | 123.17 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 20 Switzerland 147.97 applications per million people compare
- 21 Russia 135.19 applications per million people compare
- 22 Monaco 129.78 applications per million people compare
- 24 Netherlands 118.63 applications per million people compare
- 25 Australia 115.47 applications per million people compare
- 26 Iran 115.42 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Canada
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 94.11 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.9064 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 37.40 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 4.21 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.0464 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 63,720 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0016 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Canada?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Canada was 123.17 applications per million people in 2021, according to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World i.
- What is the highest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 169.54 applications per million people in 2006.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.22 applications per million people in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Canada ranks 23rd out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World i, published as part of Annual patent applications per million people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).