Annual patent applications per million people in Germany
Germany: Annual patent applications per million people was 478.65 applications per million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
478.65 applications per million people
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
5th
of 135 countries
All-time high
629.3 applications per million people
in 2000
All-time low
366.38 applications per million people
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Germany, 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
Germany recorded 478.65 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Germany peaked at 629.3 applications per million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 366.38 applications per million people, in 1980.
That places Germany 5th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Annual patent applications per million people in Germany, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 366.38 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 380.59 applications per million people | +3.9% |
| 1982 | 391.51 applications per million people | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 405.2 applications per million people | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 410.8 applications per million people | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 414.52 applications per million people | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 413.91 applications per million people | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 405.92 applications per million people | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 408.37 applications per million people | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 395.82 applications per million people | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 386.79 applications per million people | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 403.13 applications per million people | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 420.7 applications per million people | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 428.21 applications per million people | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 450.83 applications per million people | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 466.5 applications per million people | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 516.66 applications per million people | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 541.7 applications per million people | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 567.03 applications per million people | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 609.37 applications per million people | +7.5% |
| 2000 | 629.3 applications per million people | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 607.03 applications per million people | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 577.03 applications per million people | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 579.37 applications per million people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 587.13 applications per million people | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 586.48 applications per million people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 582.84 applications per million people | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 581.68 applications per million people | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 599.68 applications per million people | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 584.34 applications per million people | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 575.31 applications per million people | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 585.31 applications per million people | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 579.66 applications per million people | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 587.17 applications per million people | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 594.62 applications per million people | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 580.07 applications per million people | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 588.72 applications per million people | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 578.11 applications per million people | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 562.29 applications per million people | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 561.2 applications per million people | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 508.17 applications per million people | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 478.65 applications per million people | -5.8% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 478.65 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 8.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Germany's 478.65 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 11.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 399.3 applications per million people | 366.38 applications per million people | 414.52 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 479.09 applications per million people | 386.79 applications per million people | 609.37 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 591.49 applications per million people | 577.03 applications per million people | 629.3 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 579.25 applications per million people | 561.2 applications per million people | 594.62 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 493.41 applications per million people | 478.65 applications per million people | 508.17 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 2 Japan 1,770 applications per million people compare
- 3 China 1,010 applications per million people compare
- 4 United States 789.65 applications per million people compare
- 6 Singapore 371.13 applications per million people compare
- 7 Finland 281 applications per million people compare
- 8 North Korea 265.42 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Germany
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 129.15 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.31 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 109.20 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 301.63 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 3.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 3.61 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 108,782 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0013 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Germany?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Germany was 478.65 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 629.3 applications per million people in 2000.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 366.38 applications per million people in 1980.
- How does Germany rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Germany ranks 5th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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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