Annual patent applications per million people in Norway

Norway: Annual patent applications per million people was 174.92 applications per million people in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
174.92 applications per million people
Change on year
up 6.9%
World rank
15th
of 135 countries
All-time high
299.2 applications per million people
in 1999
All-time low
163.59 applications per million people
in 2020
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Annual patent applications per million people in Norway, 1980–2021

01002003001980200020211980: 175.2 applications per million people1981: 174.2 applications per million people1982: 168.4 applications per million people1983: 199.8 applications per million people1984: 232.1 applications per million people1985: 222.3 applications per million people1986: 216.7 applications per million people1987: 211.1 applications per million people1988: 214.8 applications per million people1989: 240.1 applications per million people1990: 212 applications per million people1991: 216.8 applications per million people1992: 219.5 applications per million people1993: 239.1 applications per million people1994: 247.7 applications per million people1995: 258.8 applications per million people1996: 294.7 applications per million people1997: 285.1 applications per million people1998: 273.7 applications per million people1999: 299.2 applications per million people2000: 291.9 applications per million people2001: 263.4 applications per million people2002: 259.6 applications per million people2003: 236.4 applications per million people2004: 248.7 applications per million people2005: 247.2 applications per million people2006: 240.1 applications per million people2007: 260.1 applications per million people2008: 241.2 applications per million people2009: 258 applications per million people2010: 228.5 applications per million people2011: 226.5 applications per million people2012: 201.1 applications per million people2013: 216.7 applications per million people2014: 215.3 applications per million people2015: 222.2 applications per million people2016: 234.4 applications per million people2017: 218.3 applications per million people2018: 203.7 applications per million people2019: 178.9 applications per million people2020: 163.6 applications per million people2021: 174.9 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 Norway stood at 174.92 applications per million people.

That represents a change of up 6.9% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Norway peaked at 299.2 applications per million people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 163.59 applications per million people, in 2020.

Norway ranks 15th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 205.48 applications per million people 168.42 applications per million people 240.13 applications per million people 10
1990s 254.65 applications per million people 211.96 applications per million people 299.2 applications per million people 10
2000s 254.67 applications per million people 236.37 applications per million people 291.92 applications per million people 10
2010s 214.56 applications per million people 178.95 applications per million people 234.41 applications per million people 10
2020s 169.25 applications per million people 163.59 applications per million people 174.92 applications per million people 2

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 12 France 197.31 applications per million people compare
  2. 13 Denmark 186.11 applications per million people compare
  3. 16 Italy 173.86 applications per million people compare
  4. 17 United Kingdom 173.07 applications per million people compare
  5. 18 Sweden 170.03 applications per million people compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for Norway

All data for Norway →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications per million people in Norway?
Annual patent applications per million people in Norway was 174.92 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 Norway?
The highest recorded value was 299.2 applications per million people in 1999.
What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 163.59 applications per million people in 2020.
How does Norway rank for annual patent applications per million people?
Norway ranks 15th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Norway 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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