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
Latest (2021)
170.03 applications per million people
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
18th
of 135 countries
All-time high
514.23 applications per million people
in 1983
All-time low
170.03 applications per million people
in 2021
Years of data
42
1980–2021
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.
Annual patent applications per million people in Sweden, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 494.07 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 470.4 applications per million people | -4.8% |
| 1982 | 490.92 applications per million people | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 514.23 applications per million people | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 476.09 applications per million people | -7.4% |
| 1985 | 459.86 applications per million people | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 440.27 applications per million people | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 419.28 applications per million people | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 386.42 applications per million people | -7.8% |
| 1989 | 370.54 applications per million people | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 363.13 applications per million people | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 366 applications per million people | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 379.67 applications per million people | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 431.26 applications per million people | +13.6% |
| 1994 | 450.19 applications per million people | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 446.47 applications per million people | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 464.99 applications per million people | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 466.87 applications per million people | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 448.76 applications per million people | -3.9% |
| 1999 | 467.61 applications per million people | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 476.1 applications per million people | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 441.32 applications per million people | -7.3% |
| 2002 | 376.25 applications per million people | -14.7% |
| 2003 | 337.68 applications per million people | -10.3% |
| 2004 | 307.78 applications per million people | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 279.31 applications per million people | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 269.37 applications per million people | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 276.23 applications per million people | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 276.48 applications per million people | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 235.09 applications per million people | -15.0% |
| 2010 | 234.16 applications per million people | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 212.08 applications per million people | -9.4% |
| 2012 | 240.35 applications per million people | +13.3% |
| 2013 | 242.91 applications per million people | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 204.62 applications per million people | -15.8% |
| 2015 | 207.98 applications per million people | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 204.78 applications per million people | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 198.06 applications per million people | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 180.63 applications per million people | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 175.31 applications per million people | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 170.38 applications per million people | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 170.03 applications per million people | -0.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 170.03 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 2.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 170.03 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 4.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
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
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 140.69 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.41 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 14.92 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 36.34 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.3001 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.8277 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 21,244 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.002 units per person (2023)
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.
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