Annual patent applications per million people in Switzerland
Switzerland: Annual patent applications per million people was 147.97 applications per million people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
147.97 applications per million people
Change on year
down 7.6%
World rank
20th
of 135 countries
All-time high
640.73 applications per million people
in 1980
All-time low
147.97 applications per million people
in 2021
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in Switzerland, 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
Switzerland recorded 147.97 applications per million people for annual patent applications per million people in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Switzerland peaked at 640.73 applications per million people in 1980 and was at its lowest, 147.97 applications per million people, in 2021.
Switzerland ranks 20th of 135 countries on this measure, 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 640.73 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 584.19 applications per million people | -8.8% |
| 1982 | 601.6 applications per million people | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 594.66 applications per million people | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 526.71 applications per million people | -11.4% |
| 1985 | 493.17 applications per million people | -6.4% |
| 1986 | 491.84 applications per million people | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 503.89 applications per million people | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 490.8 applications per million people | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 488.5 applications per million people | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 444.79 applications per million people | -8.9% |
| 1991 | 433.68 applications per million people | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 446.23 applications per million people | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 432.24 applications per million people | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 433.67 applications per million people | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 410.47 applications per million people | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 354.08 applications per million people | -13.7% |
| 1997 | 339.69 applications per million people | -4.1% |
| 1998 | 284.81 applications per million people | -16.2% |
| 1999 | 268.2 applications per million people | -5.8% |
| 2000 | 289.94 applications per million people | +8.1% |
| 2001 | 257.13 applications per million people | -11.3% |
| 2002 | 250.8 applications per million people | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 249.49 applications per million people | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 235.74 applications per million people | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 220.92 applications per million people | -6.3% |
| 2006 | 232.5 applications per million people | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 224.07 applications per million people | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 208.43 applications per million people | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 217.46 applications per million people | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 207.29 applications per million people | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 201.84 applications per million people | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 185.07 applications per million people | -8.3% |
| 2013 | 188.52 applications per million people | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 180.74 applications per million people | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 178.33 applications per million people | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 174.6 applications per million people | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 158.19 applications per million people | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 150.69 applications per million people | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 159.65 applications per million people | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 160.22 applications per million people | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 147.97 applications per million people | -7.6% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 147.97 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 2.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 147.97 applications per million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.22 applications per million people, 3.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 541.61 applications per million people | 488.5 applications per million people | 640.73 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 384.79 applications per million people | 268.2 applications per million people | 446.23 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 238.65 applications per million people | 208.43 applications per million people | 289.94 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 178.49 applications per million people | 150.69 applications per million people | 207.29 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 154.09 applications per million people | 147.97 applications per million people | 160.22 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 17 United Kingdom 173.07 applications per million people compare
- 18 Sweden 170.03 applications per million people compare
- 19 Israel 169.88 applications per million people compare
- 21 Russia 135.19 applications per million people compare
- 22 Monaco 129.78 applications per million people compare
- 23 Canada 123.17 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for Switzerland
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 129.47 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.28 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 11.55 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 292.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.5767 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 22,804 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0026 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in Switzerland?
- Annual patent applications per million people in Switzerland was 147.97 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 640.73 applications per million people in 1980.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 147.97 applications per million people in 2021.
- How does Switzerland rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- Switzerland ranks 20th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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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