Annual patent applications per million people in Finland
Finland: Annual patent applications per million people was 281 applications per million people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
281 applications per million people
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
7th
of 135 countries
All-time high
498.24 applications per million people
in 2000
All-time low
229.29 applications per million people
in 2016
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Finland, 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 Finland is 281 applications per million people, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Finland peaked at 498.24 applications per million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 229.29 applications per million people, in 2016.
Finland ranks 7th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Annual patent applications per million people in Finland, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 283.71 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 296.46 applications per million people | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 339.35 applications per million people | +14.5% |
| 1983 | 354.01 applications per million people | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 363.6 applications per million people | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 352.29 applications per million people | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 356.64 applications per million people | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 376.92 applications per million people | +5.7% |
| 1988 | 400.49 applications per million people | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 392.4 applications per million people | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 412.92 applications per million people | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 423.44 applications per million people | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 406.98 applications per million people | -3.9% |
| 1993 | 427.52 applications per million people | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 453.19 applications per million people | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 402.91 applications per million people | -11.1% |
| 1996 | 425.21 applications per million people | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 458.19 applications per million people | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 479.48 applications per million people | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 486.11 applications per million people | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 498.24 applications per million people | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 460.68 applications per million people | -7.5% |
| 2002 | 415.72 applications per million people | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 378.28 applications per million people | -9.0% |
| 2004 | 384.65 applications per million people | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 348.83 applications per million people | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 344.84 applications per million people | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 341.1 applications per million people | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 338.58 applications per million people | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 338.27 applications per million people | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 322.75 applications per million people | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 306.22 applications per million people | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 313.63 applications per million people | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 293.44 applications per million people | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 259.82 applications per million people | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 235.24 applications per million people | -9.5% |
| 2016 | 229.29 applications per million people | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 252.35 applications per million people | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 251.47 applications per million people | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 239.24 applications per million people | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 287.19 applications per million people | +20.0% |
| 2021 | 281 applications per million people | -2.2% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 281 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 4.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Finland's 281 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 6.8× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 351.59 applications per million people | 283.71 applications per million people | 400.49 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 437.59 applications per million people | 402.91 applications per million people | 486.11 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 384.92 applications per million people | 338.27 applications per million people | 498.24 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 270.34 applications per million people | 229.29 applications per million people | 322.75 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 284.09 applications per million people | 281 applications per million people | 287.19 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 4 United States 789.65 applications per million people compare
- 5 Germany 478.65 applications per million people compare
- 6 Singapore 371.13 applications per million people compare
- 8 North Korea 265.42 applications per million people compare
- 9 Barbados 258.73 applications per million people compare
- 10 Austria 209.03 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Finland
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 125.86 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.26 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 7.07 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 23.49 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -1.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.9804 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 11,224 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Finland?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Finland was 281 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 498.24 applications per million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 229.29 applications per million people in 2016.
- How does Finland rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Finland ranks 7th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Finland 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.
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