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
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.
Annual patent applications per million people in Norway, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 175.25 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 174.16 applications per million people | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 168.42 applications per million people | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 199.83 applications per million people | +18.7% |
| 1984 | 232.12 applications per million people | +16.2% |
| 1985 | 222.28 applications per million people | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 216.68 applications per million people | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 211.13 applications per million people | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 214.75 applications per million people | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 240.13 applications per million people | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 211.96 applications per million people | -11.7% |
| 1991 | 216.81 applications per million people | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 219.53 applications per million people | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 239.1 applications per million people | +8.9% |
| 1994 | 247.66 applications per million people | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 258.76 applications per million people | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 294.66 applications per million people | +13.9% |
| 1997 | 285.12 applications per million people | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 273.72 applications per million people | -4.0% |
| 1999 | 299.2 applications per million people | +9.3% |
| 2000 | 291.92 applications per million people | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 263.42 applications per million people | -9.8% |
| 2002 | 259.58 applications per million people | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 236.37 applications per million people | -8.9% |
| 2004 | 248.7 applications per million people | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 247.23 applications per million people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 240.09 applications per million people | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 260.13 applications per million people | +8.3% |
| 2008 | 241.18 applications per million people | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 258.04 applications per million people | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 228.46 applications per million people | -11.5% |
| 2011 | 226.53 applications per million people | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 201.05 applications per million people | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 216.75 applications per million people | +7.8% |
| 2014 | 215.29 applications per million people | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 222.22 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 234.41 applications per million people | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 218.31 applications per million people | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 203.69 applications per million people | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 178.95 applications per million people | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 163.59 applications per million people | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 174.92 applications per million people | +6.9% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 174.92 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 2.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Norway's 174.92 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 4.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 12 France 197.31 applications per million people compare
- 13 Denmark 186.11 applications per million people compare
- 14 Luxembourg 174.98 applications per million people compare
- 16 Italy 173.86 applications per million people compare
- 17 United Kingdom 173.07 applications per million people compare
- 18 Sweden 170.03 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Norway
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 109.35 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.09 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 6.10 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 16.61 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.2781 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.7601 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 13,756 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0025 units per person (2023)
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.
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