Annual patent applications per million people in India
India: Annual patent applications per million people was 18.57 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
18.57 applications per million people
Change on year
up 12.6%
World rank
61st
of 135 countries
All-time high
18.57 applications per million people
in 2021
All-time low
1.22 applications per million people
in 1987
Years of data
41
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in India, 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
India recorded 18.57 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 12.6% on the previous year and up 165.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in India peaked at 18.57 applications per million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.22 applications per million people, in 1987.
That places India 61st out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patent applications per million people in India, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.76 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 1.52 applications per million people | -13.7% |
| 1982 | 1.57 applications per million people | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 1.33 applications per million people | -15.2% |
| 1985 | 1.27 applications per million people | -4.3% |
| 1986 | 1.26 applications per million people | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 1.22 applications per million people | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.25 applications per million people | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 1.24 applications per million people | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 1.33 applications per million people | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 1.43 applications per million people | +8.1% |
| 1992 | 1.38 applications per million people | -3.6% |
| 1993 | 1.31 applications per million people | -5.1% |
| 1994 | 1.69 applications per million people | +28.7% |
| 1995 | 1.61 applications per million people | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 1.7 applications per million people | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 1.93 applications per million people | +13.7% |
| 1998 | 2.21 applications per million people | +14.4% |
| 1999 | 2.12 applications per million people | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 2.09 applications per million people | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 2.21 applications per million people | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 2.45 applications per million people | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 3.07 applications per million people | +25.0% |
| 2004 | 3.53 applications per million people | +15.2% |
| 2005 | 4.09 applications per million people | +15.7% |
| 2006 | 4.85 applications per million people | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 5.29 applications per million people | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 5.32 applications per million people | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 5.93 applications per million people | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 7.12 applications per million people | +20.1% |
| 2011 | 7.01 applications per million people | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 7.47 applications per million people | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 8.23 applications per million people | +10.2% |
| 2014 | 9.17 applications per million people | +11.4% |
| 2015 | 9.47 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 9.82 applications per million people | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 11 applications per million people | +12.0% |
| 2018 | 11.85 applications per million people | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 14.01 applications per million people | +18.2% |
| 2020 | 16.5 applications per million people | +17.8% |
| 2021 | 18.57 applications per million people | +12.6% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 18.57 applications per million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.54 applications per million people, 12.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- India's 18.57 applications per million people is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.31 applications per million people, 14.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.38 applications per million people | 1.22 applications per million people | 1.76 applications per million people | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.67 applications per million people | 1.31 applications per million people | 2.21 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.88 applications per million people | 2.09 applications per million people | 5.93 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.52 applications per million people | 7.01 applications per million people | 14.01 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.54 applications per million people | 16.5 applications per million people | 18.57 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near India
- 58 Croatia 19.85 applications per million people compare
- 59 Estonia 18.78 applications per million people compare
- 60 Qatar 18.76 applications per million people compare
- 62 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.33 applications per million people compare
- 63 Tunisia 15.3 applications per million people compare
- 64 Iraq 15.08 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for India
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 79.35 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.7935 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 1.15 billion (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 389.67 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -1.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.6206 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 228,174 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in India?
- Annual patent applications per million people in India was 18.57 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 18.57 applications per million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.22 applications per million people in 1987.
- How does India rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- India ranks 61st out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 165.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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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