Patent applications to the EPO by priority year (1977-2017) by country
Countries reporting
48
Highest
36,903 Number
United States
Lowest
6.63 Number
Malta
Median
385.44 Number
Years covered
40
1978–2017
Data points
1,866
What the numbers show
Patent applications to the EPO by priority year (1977-2017) is currently reported for 48 countries. The highest value is 36,903 Number in United States; the lowest is 6.63 Number in Malta.
The median across all reporting countries is 385.44 Number, and the mean is 2,753 Number.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5,566.
Over the past decade 33 countries rose and 15 fell. The largest increase was in Türkiye (up 308.5%), and the largest decrease in Croatia (down 36.1%).
Patent applications to the EPO by priority year: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 36,903 Number | 2014 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 2 | Japan | 21,380 Number | 2014 | down 8.1% | rising |
| 3 | Germany | 18,882 Number | 2017 | down 22.6% | rising |
| 4 | France | 9,503 Number | 2017 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 5 | South Korea | 6,423 Number | 2014 | up 42.7% | volatile |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 5,437 Number | 2017 | down 3.4% | rising |
| 7 | Italy | 4,148 Number | 2017 | down 15.8% | rising |
| 8 | Netherlands | 3,478 Number | 2017 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 9 | Switzerland | 3,245 Number | 2014 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 10 | Sweden | 2,833 Number | 2017 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 11 | Canada | 2,255 Number | 2014 | down 2.2% | volatile |
| 12 | Austria | 2,030 Number | 2017 | up 17.9% | volatile |
| 13 | Belgium | 1,655 Number | 2017 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 14 | Spain | 1,655 Number | 2017 | up 19.2% | volatile |
| 15 | Denmark | 1,418 Number | 2017 | up 8.2% | volatile |
| 16 | Israel | 1,332 Number | 2014 | up 7.7% | volatile |
| 17 | India | 1,319 Number | 2014 | up 151.5% | volatile |
| 18 | Finland | 1,297 Number | 2017 | up 1.6% | volatile |
| 19 | Taiwan | 1,276 Number | 2014 | up 107.3% | volatile |
| 20 | Australia | 840.84 Number | 2014 | down 27.3% | rising |
| 21 | Poland | 686.64 Number | 2017 | up 240.3% | volatile |
| 22 | Norway | 488.97 Number | 2014 | up 23.0% | volatile |
| 23 | Türkiye | 483.68 Number | 2014 | up 308.5% | volatile |
| 24 | Russia | 399.42 Number | 2014 | up 63.9% | rising |
| 25 | Ireland | 371.46 Number | 2017 | up 12.8% | volatile |
| 26 | Czechia | 357.38 Number | 2017 | up 88.8% | volatile |
| 27 | Singapore | 310.41 Number | 2014 | up 14.6% | volatile |
| 28 | Brazil | 261.13 Number | 2014 | up 33.2% | volatile |
| 29 | New Zealand | 224.46 Number | 2013 | up 2.0% | volatile |
| 30 | Hungary | 196.77 Number | 2017 | up 3.0% | rising |
| 31 | Portugal | 142.23 Number | 2017 | up 14.9% | volatile |
| 32 | South Africa | 132.26 Number | 2014 | down 10.9% | rising |
| 33 | Slovenia | 114.25 Number | 2017 | down 4.9% | volatile |
| 34 | Romania | 99.57 Number | 2017 | up 205.7% | volatile |
| 35 | Greece | 90.25 Number | 2017 | down 13.0% | volatile |
| 36 | Hong Kong | 75.07 Number | 2014 | up 44.4% | volatile |
| 37 | Mexico | 72.45 Number | 2014 | up 21.6% | volatile |
| 38 | Liechtenstein | 59.71 Number | 2014 | up 150.8% | rising |
| 39 | Luxembourg | 55.49 Number | 2017 | down 24.8% | rising |
| 40 | Slovakia | 55.14 Number | 2017 | up 41.8% | volatile |
| 41 | Estonia | 36.31 Number | 2017 | up 28.7% | volatile |
| 42 | Bulgaria | 29.33 Number | 2017 | up 141.0% | volatile |
| 43 | Iceland | 28.4 Number | 2013 | down 7.9% | volatile |
| 44 | Latvia | 22.26 Number | 2017 | up 42.1% | volatile |
| 45 | Lithuania | 21.57 Number | 2017 | up 120.1% | volatile |
| 46 | Croatia | 19.94 Number | 2017 | down 36.1% | rising |
| 47 | Cyprus | 9.08 Number | 2017 | down 12.1% | volatile |
| 48 | Malta | 6.63 Number | 2017 | down 2.9% | rising |