Annual patent applications per million people in South Africa
South Africa: Annual patent applications per million people was 29.33 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
29.33 applications per million people
Change on year
up 227.8%
World rank
46th
of 135 countries
All-time high
131.87 applications per million people
in 1987
All-time low
2.95 applications per million people
in 1999
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in South Africa, 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 South Africa stood at 29.33 applications per million people.
That represents a change of up 227.8% on the previous year and up 137.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in South Africa peaked at 131.87 applications per million people in 1987 and was at its lowest, 2.95 applications per million people, in 1999.
South Africa ranks 46th 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.
Annual patent applications per million people in South Africa, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 104.75 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 109.36 applications per million people | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 95.43 applications per million people | -12.7% |
| 1983 | 129.51 applications per million people | +35.7% |
| 1984 | 114.3 applications per million people | -11.7% |
| 1985 | 115.6 applications per million people | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 130.73 applications per million people | +13.1% |
| 1987 | 131.87 applications per million people | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 125.49 applications per million people | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 129.55 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 26.82 applications per million people | -79.3% |
| 1991 | 24.54 applications per million people | -8.5% |
| 1992 | 20.92 applications per million people | -14.7% |
| 1993 | 20.88 applications per million people | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 21.25 applications per million people | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 19.82 applications per million people | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 16.78 applications per million people | -15.4% |
| 1997 | 7.77 applications per million people | -53.7% |
| 1998 | 4.33 applications per million people | -44.3% |
| 1999 | 2.95 applications per million people | -31.7% |
| 2000 | 18.98 applications per million people | +542.6% |
| 2001 | 20.31 applications per million people | +7.0% |
| 2002 | 20.47 applications per million people | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 19.01 applications per million people | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 19.51 applications per million people | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 20.27 applications per million people | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 17.32 applications per million people | -14.5% |
| 2007 | 18.11 applications per million people | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 16.82 applications per million people | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 15.89 applications per million people | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 15.68 applications per million people | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 12.38 applications per million people | -21.1% |
| 2012 | 11.3 applications per million people | -8.7% |
| 2013 | 11.67 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 14.43 applications per million people | +23.6% |
| 2015 | 15.67 applications per million people | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 12.29 applications per million people | -21.6% |
| 2017 | 12.63 applications per million people | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 11.21 applications per million people | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 9.52 applications per million people | -15.1% |
| 2020 | 8.95 applications per million people | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 29.33 applications per million people | +227.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 29.33 applications per million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.24 applications per million people, 3.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 29.33 applications per million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9972 applications per million people, 29.4× the median. (18 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual patent applications per million people in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +542.6% | 2.95 applications per million people | 18.98 applications per million people |
| 2021 | +227.8% | 8.95 applications per million people | 29.33 applications per million people |
| 1990 | -79.3% | 129.55 applications per million people | 26.82 applications per million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 118.66 applications per million people | 95.43 applications per million people | 131.87 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.61 applications per million people | 2.95 applications per million people | 26.82 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.67 applications per million people | 15.89 applications per million people | 20.47 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.68 applications per million people | 9.52 applications per million people | 15.68 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.14 applications per million people | 8.95 applications per million people | 29.33 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 43 Mongolia 32.21 applications per million people compare
- 44 Belarus 29.67 applications per million people compare
- 45 Ukraine 29.39 applications per million people compare
- 47 Lithuania 28.84 applications per million people compare
- 48 Spain 27.57 applications per million people compare
- 49 Slovakia 26.8 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for South Africa
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 179.34 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 89.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 8,549 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,549 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in South Africa?
- Annual patent applications per million people in South Africa was 29.33 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 Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 131.87 applications per million people in 1987.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.95 applications per million people in 1999.
- How does South Africa rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- South Africa ranks 46th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 137.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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).