Annual patent applications per million people in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual patent applications per million people was 12.01 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
12.01 applications per million people
Change on year
down 25.5%
World rank
70th
of 135 countries
All-time high
16.33 applications per million people
in 2019
All-time low
0.3974 applications per million people
in 1981
Years of data
40
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka stood at 12.01 applications per million people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.5% on the previous year and up 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Sri Lanka peaked at 16.33 applications per million people in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.3974 applications per million people, in 1981.
That places Sri Lanka 70th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.7408 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 0.3974 applications per million people | -46.4% |
| 1982 | 0.785 applications per million people | +97.6% |
| 1983 | 1.04 applications per million people | +32.4% |
| 1984 | 1.04 applications per million people | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 1.8 applications per million people | +73.8% |
| 1986 | 1.65 applications per million people | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 2.58 applications per million people | +55.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 applications per million people | -37.2% |
| 1989 | 1.72 applications per million people | +6.6% |
| 1990 | 1.41 applications per million people | -18.4% |
| 1991 | 2 applications per million people | +42.4% |
| 1992 | 2.15 applications per million people | +7.4% |
| 1993 | 2.88 applications per million people | +33.8% |
| 1994 | 2.08 applications per million people | -27.6% |
| 1995 | 4.33 applications per million people | +107.6% |
| 1996 | 2.79 applications per million people | -35.5% |
| 1997 | 4.44 applications per million people | +59.0% |
| 1998 | 2.9 applications per million people | -34.6% |
| 1999 | 6.28 applications per million people | +116.3% |
| 2000 | 3.68 applications per million people | -41.4% |
| 2001 | 6.12 applications per million people | +66.4% |
| 2002 | 6.21 applications per million people | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 4.76 applications per million people | -23.3% |
| 2004 | 5.97 applications per million people | +25.5% |
| 2005 | 7.37 applications per million people | +23.4% |
| 2006 | 7.52 applications per million people | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 7.37 applications per million people | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 9.74 applications per million people | +32.2% |
| 2009 | 9.73 applications per million people | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 10.78 applications per million people | +10.7% |
| 2011 | 9.23 applications per million people | -14.3% |
| 2013 | 15.93 applications per million people | +72.6% |
| 2015 | 10.4 applications per million people | -34.8% |
| 2016 | 13.2 applications per million people | +27.0% |
| 2017 | 12.91 applications per million people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 15.83 applications per million people | +22.6% |
| 2019 | 16.33 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 16.1 applications per million people | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 12.01 applications per million people | -25.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 12.01 applications per million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9.24 applications per million people, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 12.01 applications per million people is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.31 applications per million people, 9.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.34 applications per million people | 0.3974 applications per million people | 2.58 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.13 applications per million people | 1.41 applications per million people | 6.28 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.85 applications per million people | 3.68 applications per million people | 9.74 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.08 applications per million people | 9.23 applications per million people | 16.33 applications per million people | 8 |
| 2020s | 14.06 applications per million people | 12.01 applications per million people | 16.1 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 67 Kyrgyzstan 12.11 applications per million people compare
- 68 Thailand 12.09 applications per million people compare
- 69 Uzbekistan 12.06 applications per million people compare
- 71 Azerbaijan 11.74 applications per million people compare
- 72 Vietnam 10.77 applications per million people compare
- 73 Bahamas 10.24 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Sri Lanka
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 132.55 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.4 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 30.62 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 528.35 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -6.84 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -6.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 2,322 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Sri Lanka?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Sri Lanka was 12.01 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 16.33 applications per million people in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3974 applications per million people in 1981.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Sri Lanka ranks 70th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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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