Annual patent applications per million people in Iceland
Iceland: Annual patent applications per million people was 91.27 applications per million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
91.27 applications per million people
Change on year
down 24.0%
World rank
30th
of 135 countries
All-time high
246.94 applications per million people
in 2002
All-time low
59.5 applications per million people
in 1996
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Iceland, 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
Iceland recorded 91.27 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021.
That represents a change of down 24.0% on the previous year and down 41.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Iceland peaked at 246.94 applications per million people in 2002 and was at its lowest, 59.5 applications per million people, in 1996.
That places Iceland 30th 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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 83.28 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 60.67 applications per million people | -27.2% |
| 1982 | 76.97 applications per million people | +26.9% |
| 1983 | 135.03 applications per million people | +75.4% |
| 1984 | 116.91 applications per million people | -13.4% |
| 1985 | 86.99 applications per million people | -25.6% |
| 1986 | 119.25 applications per million people | +37.1% |
| 1987 | 113.89 applications per million people | -4.5% |
| 1988 | 64.07 applications per million people | -43.7% |
| 1989 | 71.19 applications per million people | +11.1% |
| 1990 | 66.71 applications per million people | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 131.89 applications per million people | +97.7% |
| 1992 | 107.26 applications per million people | -18.7% |
| 1993 | 128.92 applications per million people | +20.2% |
| 1994 | 82.7 applications per million people | -35.9% |
| 1995 | 71.04 applications per million people | -14.1% |
| 1996 | 59.5 applications per million people | -16.2% |
| 1997 | 81.14 applications per million people | +36.4% |
| 1998 | 149.61 applications per million people | +84.4% |
| 1999 | 126.18 applications per million people | -15.7% |
| 2000 | 181.36 applications per million people | +43.7% |
| 2001 | 171.95 applications per million people | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 246.94 applications per million people | +43.6% |
| 2003 | 196.88 applications per million people | -20.3% |
| 2004 | 225.97 applications per million people | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 158.39 applications per million people | -29.9% |
| 2006 | 148.13 applications per million people | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 195.78 applications per million people | +32.2% |
| 2008 | 157.52 applications per million people | -19.5% |
| 2009 | 200.94 applications per million people | +27.6% |
| 2010 | 179.22 applications per million people | -10.8% |
| 2011 | 156.73 applications per million people | -12.5% |
| 2012 | 115.37 applications per million people | -26.4% |
| 2013 | 101.93 applications per million people | -11.7% |
| 2014 | 155.78 applications per million people | +52.8% |
| 2015 | 120.91 applications per million people | -22.4% |
| 2016 | 104.34 applications per million people | -13.7% |
| 2017 | 104.83 applications per million people | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 158.77 applications per million people | +51.4% |
| 2019 | 130.35 applications per million people | -17.9% |
| 2020 | 120.07 applications per million people | -7.9% |
| 2021 | 91.27 applications per million people | -24.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 91.27 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 91.27 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 2.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 92.82 applications per million people | 60.67 applications per million people | 135.03 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 100.49 applications per million people | 59.5 applications per million people | 149.61 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 188.39 applications per million people | 148.13 applications per million people | 246.94 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 132.82 applications per million people | 101.93 applications per million people | 179.22 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 105.67 applications per million people | 91.27 applications per million people | 120.07 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 27 Slovenia 105.31 applications per million people compare
- 28 Turkey 97.85 applications per million people compare
- 29 Poland 91.32 applications per million people compare
- 31 Belgium 68.96 applications per million people compare
- 32 Portugal 68.62 applications per million people compare
- 33 New Zealand 64.9 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Iceland
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 120.93 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.23 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 475,724 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 4.67 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.4503 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 715.97 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0019 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Iceland?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Iceland was 91.27 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 246.94 applications per million people in 2002.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.5 applications per million people in 1996.
- How does Iceland rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Iceland ranks 30th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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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