Patent applications to the EPO by country of applicants and inventors (2004 and onwards) by country
Countries reporting
45
Highest
24,476 Number
Germany
Lowest
1 Number
North Macedonia
Median
171 Number
Years covered
22
2004–2025
Data points
982
What the numbers show
Patent applications to the EPO by country of applicants and inventors (2004 and onwards) is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 24,476 Number in Germany; the lowest is 1 Number in North Macedonia.
The median across all reporting countries is 171 Number, and the mean is 1,974 Number.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 24,476.
Over the past decade 36 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Croatia (up 344.4%), and the largest decrease in Malta (down 23.4%).
Patent applications to the EPO by country of applicants and inventors: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 24,476 Number | 2025 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 2 | France | 10,932 Number | 2025 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 3 | Switzerland | 9,914 Number | 2025 | up 39.3% | rising |
| 4 | Netherlands | 7,006 Number | 2025 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 4 | Netherlands | 7,006 Number | 2025 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 6 | Italy | 4,767 Number | 2025 | up 19.6% | rising |
| 7 | Sweden | 4,724 Number | 2025 | up 23.1% | rising |
| 8 | Finland | 3,457 Number | 2025 | up 73.5% | rising |
| 9 | Denmark | 2,672 Number | 2025 | up 39.2% | rising |
| 10 | Belgium | 2,548 Number | 2025 | up 24.8% | rising |
| 11 | Spain | 2,255 Number | 2025 | up 48.6% | rising |
| 12 | Austria | 2,253 Number | 2025 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 13 | Ireland | 1,179 Number | 2025 | up 92.0% | rising |
| 14 | Norway | 726 Number | 2025 | up 42.4% | rising |
| 15 | Türkiye | 659 Number | 2025 | up 47.4% | volatile |
| 16 | Poland | 621 Number | 2025 | up 9.7% | volatile |
| 16 | Poland | 621 Number | 2025 | up 9.7% | volatile |
| 18 | Liechtenstein | 430 Number | 2025 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 19 | Luxembourg | 374 Number | 2025 | down 12.0% | rising |
| 20 | Portugal | 368 Number | 2025 | up 161.0% | volatile |
| 21 | Czechia | 267 Number | 2025 | up 25.4% | rising |
| 22 | Slovenia | 171 Number | 2025 | up 44.9% | rising |
| 22 | Slovenia | 171 Number | 2025 | up 44.9% | rising |
| 24 | Hungary | 129 Number | 2025 | up 33.0% | rising |
| 25 | Greece | 123 Number | 2025 | up 35.2% | rising |
| 26 | Lithuania | 93 Number | 2025 | up 138.5% | volatile |
| 26 | Lithuania | 93 Number | 2025 | up 138.5% | volatile |
| 28 | Estonia | 82 Number | 2025 | up 156.2% | volatile |
| 28 | Estonia | 82 Number | 2025 | up 156.2% | volatile |
| 30 | Iceland | 76 Number | 2025 | up 68.9% | rising |
| 31 | Malta | 72 Number | 2025 | down 23.4% | rising |
| 31 | Bulgaria | 72 Number | 2025 | up 118.2% | volatile |
| 33 | Slovakia | 58 Number | 2025 | up 23.4% | rising |
| 33 | Slovakia | 58 Number | 2025 | up 23.4% | rising |
| 35 | Cyprus | 57 Number | 2025 | up 46.2% | rising |
| 36 | Romania | 41 Number | 2025 | up 36.7% | rising |
| 37 | Croatia | 40 Number | 2025 | up 344.4% | rising |
| 37 | Croatia | 40 Number | 2025 | up 344.4% | rising |
| 39 | Latvia | 38 Number | 2025 | up 26.7% | volatile |
| 39 | Latvia | 38 Number | 2025 | up 26.7% | volatile |
| 41 | Serbia | 13 Number | 2025 | up 225.0% | volatile |
| 42 | Albania | 8 Number | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 43 | Montenegro | 5 Number | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 44 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 Number | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 45 | North Macedonia | 1 Number | 2025 | — | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) 68,752 Number