Annual patent applications per million people in Kenya

Kenya: Annual patent applications per million people was 3.01 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
3.01 applications per million people
Change on year
down 54.0%
World rank
97th
of 135 countries
All-time high
6.53 applications per million people
in 2020
All-time low
0.0468 applications per million people
in 1988
Years of data
27
1988–2021

Annual patent applications per million people in Kenya, 1988–2021

02461988200420211988: 0.047 applications per million people1991: 0.338 applications per million people1993: 0.557 applications per million people1996: 0.549 applications per million people1997: 0.783 applications per million people1998: 0.935 applications per million people1999: 0.841 applications per million people2002: 0.705 applications per million people2003: 0.654 applications per million people2004: 0.893 applications per million people2005: 0.95 applications per million people2006: 1.1 applications per million people2007: 1.1 applications per million people2008: 1.6 applications per million people2009: 1.2 applications per million people2010: 1.9 applications per million people2011: 3.2 applications per million people2012: 2.8 applications per million people2013: 2.8 applications per million people2014: 2.9 applications per million people2015: 2.9 applications per million people2016: 3 applications per million people2017: 2.7 applications per million people2018: 4.9 applications per million people2019: 5.7 applications per million people2020: 6.5 applications per million people2021: 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

In 2021, annual patent applications per million people in Kenya stood at 3.01 applications per million people.

That represents a change of down 54.0% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Kenya peaked at 6.53 applications per million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0468 applications per million people, in 1988.

Kenya ranks 97th of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0468 applications per million people 0.0468 applications per million people 0.0468 applications per million people 1
1990s 0.6671 applications per million people 0.3383 applications per million people 0.9346 applications per million people 6
2000s 1.02 applications per million people 0.6537 applications per million people 1.61 applications per million people 8
2010s 3.27 applications per million people 1.85 applications per million people 5.74 applications per million people 10
2020s 4.77 applications per million people 3.01 applications per million people 6.53 applications per million people 2

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 94 Sudan 3.27 applications per million people compare
  2. 95 Venezuela 3.14 applications per million people compare
  3. 96 Namibia 3.02 applications per million people compare
  4. 98 Costa Rica 2.96 applications per million people compare
  5. 99 Macao 2.93 applications per million people compare
  6. 100 Peru 2.84 applications per million people compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications per million people in Kenya?
Annual patent applications per million people in Kenya was 3.01 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 6.53 applications per million people in 2020.
What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0468 applications per million people in 1988.
How does Kenya rank for annual patent applications per million people?
Kenya ranks 97th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Kenya 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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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