Annual patent applications per million people in France

France: Annual patent applications per million people was 197.31 applications per million people in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
197.31 applications per million people
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
12th
of 135 countries
All-time high
229.97 applications per million people
in 2007
All-time low
188.92 applications per million people
in 2020
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Annual patent applications per million people in France, 1980–2021

0501001502002501980200020211980: 199 applications per million people1981: 196.8 applications per million people1982: 191.4 applications per million people1983: 198.7 applications per million people1984: 201 applications per million people1985: 212.7 applications per million people1986: 213.4 applications per million people1987: 221.7 applications per million people1988: 215.9 applications per million people1989: 217.3 applications per million people1990: 212.5 applications per million people1991: 215.1 applications per million people1992: 213.1 applications per million people1993: 213.8 applications per million people1994: 211 applications per million people1995: 208.6 applications per million people1996: 216.2 applications per million people1997: 221 applications per million people1998: 220.2 applications per million people1999: 224.7 applications per million people2000: 227.7 applications per million people2001: 220 applications per million people2002: 218.7 applications per million people2003: 217 applications per million people2004: 226.9 applications per million people2005: 226.8 applications per million people2006: 228.4 applications per million people2007: 230 applications per million people2008: 227.7 applications per million people2009: 217.9 applications per million people2010: 226.8 applications per million people2011: 224.3 applications per million people2012: 221.5 applications per million people2013: 222.6 applications per million people2014: 218.7 applications per million people2015: 215 applications per million people2016: 212.9 applications per million people2017: 215.4 applications per million people2018: 213 applications per million people2019: 209.3 applications per million people2020: 188.9 applications per million people2021: 197.3 applications per million people

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

France recorded 197.31 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021.

The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in France peaked at 229.97 applications per million people in 2007 and was at its lowest, 188.92 applications per million people, in 2020.

France ranks 12th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 206.79 applications per million people 191.39 applications per million people 221.68 applications per million people 10
1990s 215.6 applications per million people 208.58 applications per million people 224.65 applications per million people 10
2000s 224.1 applications per million people 217.04 applications per million people 229.97 applications per million people 10
2010s 217.93 applications per million people 209.3 applications per million people 226.8 applications per million people 10
2020s 193.11 applications per million people 188.92 applications per million people 197.31 applications per million people 2

Countries ranked near France

  1. 9 Barbados 258.73 applications per million people compare
  2. 10 Austria 209.03 applications per million people compare
  3. 11 San Marino 204.37 applications per million people compare
  4. 13 Denmark 186.11 applications per million people compare
  5. 15 Norway 174.92 applications per million people compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications per million people in France?
Annual patent applications per million people in France was 197.31 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 229.97 applications per million people in 2007.
What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 188.92 applications per million people in 2020.
How does France rank for annual patent applications per million people?
France ranks 12th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this France 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).

About this data

Indicator
Annual patent applications per million people
Unit
applications per million people
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
135 places, 3,804 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed