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
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.
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
- Scientific and technical journal articles 715.97 (2023)
- Mobile phone subscriptions 475,724 (2024)
- Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people 120.93 per 100 people (2024)
- Mobile and landline phone subscriptions per 100 people 120.93 per 100 people (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 2 (2021)
- Share of the population using the Internet 98.2% (2024)
- Patent applications, residents 34 (2021)
- Research and development expenditure 2.6% (2023)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 139.9 Thousand persons (2025)
- Number of people using the Internet 371,481 users (2021)
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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