Annual patent applications per million people in United States
United States: Annual patent applications per million people was 789.65 applications per million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
789.65 applications per million people
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
4th
of 135 countries
All-time high
910.51 applications per million people
in 2016
All-time low
254.03 applications per million people
in 1983
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Annual patent applications per million people in United States, 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
The most recent figure for annual patent applications per million people in United States is 789.65 applications per million people, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in United States peaked at 910.51 applications per million people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 254.03 applications per million people, in 1983.
United States ranks 4th of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Annual patent applications per million people in United States, year by year
| Year | applications per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 273.29 applications per million people | — |
| 1981 | 271.95 applications per million people | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 273.31 applications per million people | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 254.03 applications per million people | -7.1% |
| 1984 | 262.23 applications per million people | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 267.62 applications per million people | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 271.5 applications per million people | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 281.96 applications per million people | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 307.54 applications per million people | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 333.73 applications per million people | +8.5% |
| 1990 | 363.12 applications per million people | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 347.67 applications per million people | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 360.31 applications per million people | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 384.56 applications per million people | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 407.54 applications per million people | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 465.54 applications per million people | +14.2% |
| 1996 | 396.79 applications per million people | -14.8% |
| 1997 | 437.23 applications per million people | +10.2% |
| 1998 | 488.42 applications per million people | +11.7% |
| 1999 | 534.87 applications per million people | +9.5% |
| 2000 | 584.04 applications per million people | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 622.92 applications per million people | +6.7% |
| 2002 | 640.57 applications per million people | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 651.28 applications per million people | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 647.31 applications per million people | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 703.4 applications per million people | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 743.29 applications per million people | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 801.2 applications per million people | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 761.57 applications per million people | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 733.16 applications per million people | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 782.14 applications per million people | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 794.48 applications per million people | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 855.07 applications per million people | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 908.77 applications per million people | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 893 applications per million people | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 895.97 applications per million people | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 910.51 applications per million people | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 899.87 applications per million people | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 867.79 applications per million people | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 863.39 applications per million people | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 813.04 applications per million people | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 789.65 applications per million people | -2.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 789.65 applications per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.04 applications per million people, 13.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 279.72 applications per million people | 254.03 applications per million people | 333.73 applications per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 418.61 applications per million people | 347.67 applications per million people | 534.87 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 688.87 applications per million people | 584.04 applications per million people | 801.2 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 867.1 applications per million people | 782.14 applications per million people | 910.51 applications per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 801.35 applications per million people | 789.65 applications per million people | 813.04 applications per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 South Korea 3,598 applications per million people compare
- 2 Japan 1,770 applications per million people compare
- 3 China 1,010 applications per million people compare
- 5 Germany 478.65 applications per million people compare
- 6 Singapore 371.13 applications per million people compare
- 7 Finland 281 applications per million people compare
More science & technology data for United States
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 113.19 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.15 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 390.99 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 42.21 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.693 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 430,843 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0013 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patent applications per million people in United States?
- Annual patent applications per million people in United States was 789.65 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 910.51 applications per million people in 2016.
- What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 254.03 applications per million people in 1983.
- How does United States rank for annual patent applications per million people?
- United States ranks 4th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
- Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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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