Annual patent applications per million people in South Korea
South Korea: Annual patent applications per million people was 3,598 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
3,598 applications per million people
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
1st
of 135 countries
All-time high
3,598 applications per million people
in 2021
All-time low
32.55 applications per million people
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in South Korea, 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
South Korea recorded 3,598 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 30.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in South Korea peaked at 3,598 applications per million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 32.55 applications per million people, in 1980.
South Korea ranks 1st of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patent applications per million people in South Korea, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 32.55 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 34.06 applications per million people | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 39.57 applications per million people | +16.2% |
| 1983 | 40.06 applications per million people | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 49.42 applications per million people | +23.4% |
| 1985 | 66.22 applications per million people | +34.0% |
| 1986 | 88.32 applications per million people | +33.4% |
| 1987 | 117.03 applications per million people | +32.5% |
| 1988 | 135.52 applications per million people | +15.8% |
| 1989 | 165.38 applications per million people | +22.0% |
| 1990 | 211.85 applications per million people | +28.1% |
| 1991 | 306.1 applications per million people | +44.5% |
| 1992 | 364.61 applications per million people | +19.1% |
| 1993 | 485.33 applications per million people | +33.1% |
| 1994 | 639.63 applications per million people | +31.8% |
| 1995 | 1,313 applications per million people | +105.3% |
| 1996 | 1,503 applications per million people | +14.4% |
| 1997 | 1,466 applications per million people | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 1,093 applications per million people | -25.4% |
| 1999 | 1,201 applications per million people | +9.8% |
| 2000 | 1,549 applications per million people | +29.0% |
| 2001 | 1,556 applications per million people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 1,607 applications per million people | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 1,886 applications per million people | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 2,189 applications per million people | +16.1% |
| 2005 | 2,536 applications per million people | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 2,590 applications per million people | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 2,644 applications per million people | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 2,591 applications per million people | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 2,582 applications per million people | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 2,660 applications per million people | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 2,764 applications per million people | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 2,951 applications per million people | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 3,172 applications per million people | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 3,233 applications per million people | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 3,279 applications per million people | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 3,191 applications per million people | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 3,097 applications per million people | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 3,151 applications per million people | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 3,315 applications per million people | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 3,482 applications per million people | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 3,598 applications per million people | +3.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3,598 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 59.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3,598 applications per million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.98 applications per million people, 124.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual patent applications per million people in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +105.3% | 639.63 applications per million people | 1,313 applications per million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.81 applications per million people | 32.55 applications per million people | 165.38 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 858.31 applications per million people | 211.85 applications per million people | 1,503 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,173 applications per million people | 1,549 applications per million people | 2,644 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,081 applications per million people | 2,660 applications per million people | 3,315 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,540 applications per million people | 3,482 applications per million people | 3,598 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More science & technology data for South Korea
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 172.52 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.72 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 89.22 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 859.55 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 6.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 6.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 71,724 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0014 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in South Korea?
- Annual patent applications per million people in South Korea was 3,598 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,598 applications per million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.55 applications per million people in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- South Korea ranks 1st out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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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CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).