Annual patent applications per million people in Zambia

Zambia: Annual patent applications per million people was 0.6631 applications per million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.6631 applications per million people
Change on year
down 25.7%
World rank
118th
of 135 countries
All-time high
2 applications per million people
in 2008
All-time low
0.0882 applications per million people
in 2004
Years of data
34
1980–2021

Annual patent applications per million people in Zambia, 1980–2021

00.511.521980200020211980: 0.345 applications per million people1981: 0.167 applications per million people1982: 0.162 applications per million people1983: 0.157 applications per million people1988: 0.947 applications per million people1989: 0.395 applications per million people1990: 0.899 applications per million people1991: 0.125 applications per million people1992: 0.856 applications per million people1993: 0.478 applications per million people1995: 0.455 applications per million people1996: 0.666 applications per million people1999: 0.513 applications per million people2001: 0.581 applications per million people2002: 0.282 applications per million people2003: 0.273 applications per million people2004: 0.088 applications per million people2005: 0.427 applications per million people2006: 0.33 applications per million people2007: 1.5 applications per million people2008: 2 applications per million people2009: 0.667 applications per million people2010: 0.358 applications per million people2011: 0.208 applications per million people2012: 0.469 applications per million people2013: 0.844 applications per million people2014: 0.881 applications per million people2015: 1.2 applications per million people2016: 0.887 applications per million people2017: 0.688 applications per million people2018: 0.612 applications per million people2019: 0.108 applications per million people2020: 0.892 applications per million people2021: 0.663 applications per million people

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 Zambia is 0.6631 applications per million people, measured in 2021.

That represents a change of down 25.7% on the previous year and up 219.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual patent applications per million people in Zambia peaked at 2 applications per million people in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.0882 applications per million people, in 2004.

That places Zambia 118th out of 135 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.3621 applications per million people 0.1567 applications per million people 0.947 applications per million people 6
1990s 0.5704 applications per million people 0.1253 applications per million people 0.899 applications per million people 7
2000s 0.6841 applications per million people 0.0882 applications per million people 2 applications per million people 9
2010s 0.6275 applications per million people 0.108 applications per million people 1.22 applications per million people 10
2020s 0.7775 applications per million people 0.6631 applications per million people 0.8919 applications per million people 2

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 115 Honduras 0.8192 applications per million people compare
  2. 116 Cyprus 0.7591 applications per million people compare
  3. 117 Nepal 0.714 applications per million people compare
  4. 119 Dominican Republic 0.6293 applications per million people compare
  5. 120 Zimbabwe 0.5479 applications per million people compare
  6. 121 Yemen 0.5385 applications per million people compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More science & technology data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual patent applications per million people in Zambia?
Annual patent applications per million people in Zambia was 0.6631 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 2 applications per million people in 2008.
What is the lowest annual patent applications per million people recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0882 applications per million people in 2004.
How does Zambia rank for annual patent applications per million people?
Zambia ranks 118th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual patent applications per million people rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 219.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia 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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About this data

Indicator
Annual patent applications per million people
Unit
applications per million people
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
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
135 places, 3,804 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed