Annual patent applications per million people in Sweden
Sweden: Annual patent applications per million people was 170.03 applications per million people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Annual patent applications per million people in Sweden, 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 Sweden stood at 170.03 applications per million people. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Sweden peaked at 514.23 applications per million people in 1983 and was at its lowest, 170.03 applications per million people, in 2021.
That places Sweden 18th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 452.21 applications per million people | 370.54 applications per million people | 514.23 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 428.5 applications per million people | 363.13 applications per million people | 467.61 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 327.56 applications per million people | 235.09 applications per million people | 476.1 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 210.09 applications per million people | 175.31 applications per million people | 242.91 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 170.2 applications per million people | 170.03 applications per million people | 170.38 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 15 Norway 174.92 applications per million people compare
- 16 Italy 173.86 applications per million people compare
- 17 United Kingdom 173.07 applications per million people compare
- 19 Israel 169.88 applications per million people compare
- 20 Switzerland 147.97 applications per million people compare
- 21 Russia 135.19 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Sweden
- Scientific and technical journal articles 21,244 (2023)
- Mobile phone subscriptions 14.92 million (2024)
- Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people 140.69 per 100 people (2024)
- Mobile and landline phone subscriptions per 100 people 140.69 per 100 people (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 425 (2021)
- Share of the population using the Internet 95.8% (2025)
- Patent applications, residents 1,771 (2021)
- Research and development expenditure 3.6% (2023)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 3,915 Thousand persons (2025)
- Number of people using the Internet 9.86 million users (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Sweden?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Sweden was 170.03 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 514.23 applications per million people in 1983.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 170.03 applications per million people in 2021.
- How does Sweden rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Sweden ranks 18th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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).