Annual patent applications per million people in Singapore

Singapore: Annual patent applications per million people was 371.13 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
371.13 applications per million people
Change on year
up 18.7%
World rank
6th
of 135 countries
All-time high
371.13 applications per million people
in 2021
All-time low
0.8285 applications per million people
in 1980
Years of data
32
1980–2021

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

01002003004001980200020211980: 0.829 applications per million people1981: 1.6 applications per million people1983: 1.9 applications per million people1984: 1.5 applications per million people1985: 1.5 applications per million people1995: 41.1 applications per million people1996: 61 applications per million people1997: 75.9 applications per million people1998: 79.2 applications per million people1999: 94.5 applications per million people2000: 128.1 applications per million people2001: 126.6 applications per million people2002: 149.4 applications per million people2003: 152.1 applications per million people2004: 153.8 applications per million people2005: 133.4 applications per million people2006: 142.2 applications per million people2007: 151.7 applications per million people2008: 163.9 applications per million people2009: 150.4 applications per million people2010: 176.3 applications per million people2011: 203.7 applications per million people2012: 203.5 applications per million people2013: 211.7 applications per million people2014: 238.2 applications per million people2015: 265.4 applications per million people2016: 285.5 applications per million people2017: 286.7 applications per million people2018: 279.3 applications per million people2019: 302.8 applications per million people2020: 312.7 applications per million people2021: 371.1 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 Singapore stood at 371.13 applications per million people. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.

That represents a change of up 18.7% on the previous year and up 82.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Singapore peaked at 371.13 applications per million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.8285 applications per million people, in 1980.

Singapore ranks 6th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.44 applications per million people 0.8285 applications per million people 1.86 applications per million people 5
1990s 70.34 applications per million people 41.14 applications per million people 94.47 applications per million people 5
2000s 145.17 applications per million people 126.63 applications per million people 163.86 applications per million people 10
2010s 245.31 applications per million people 176.29 applications per million people 302.79 applications per million people 10
2020s 341.92 applications per million people 312.71 applications per million people 371.13 applications per million people 2

Countries ranked near Singapore

  1. 3 China 1,010 applications per million people compare
  2. 4 United States 789.65 applications per million people compare
  3. 5 Germany 478.65 applications per million people compare
  4. 7 Finland 281 applications per million people compare
  5. 8 North Korea 265.42 applications per million people compare
  6. 9 Barbados 258.73 applications per million people compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for Singapore

All data for Singapore →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications per million people in Singapore?
Annual patent applications per million people in Singapore was 371.13 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 Singapore?
The highest recorded value was 371.13 applications per million people in 2021.
What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Singapore?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8285 applications per million people in 1980.
How does Singapore rank for annual patent applications per million people?
Singapore ranks 6th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Singapore?
Over the last ten years it is up 82.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Singapore 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