Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa
South Africa: Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies was 10 patents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa, 2001–2024
Source: IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in patents.
Analysis
In 2024, annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa stood at 10 patents.
That represents a change of down 23.1% on the previous year and down 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa peaked at 25 patents in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2 patents, in 2003.
That places South Africa 7th out of 53 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 patents | — |
| 2003 | 2 patents | -50.0% |
| 2004 | 3 patents | +50.0% |
| 2005 | 3 patents | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 patents | +66.7% |
| 2007 | 9 patents | +80.0% |
| 2008 | 7 patents | -22.2% |
| 2009 | 8 patents | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 9 patents | +12.5% |
| 2011 | 20 patents | +122.2% |
| 2012 | 25 patents | +25.0% |
| 2013 | 15 patents | -40.0% |
| 2014 | 18 patents | +20.0% |
| 2015 | 12 patents | -33.3% |
| 2016 | 3 patents | -75.0% |
| 2017 | 7 patents | +133.3% |
| 2018 | 5 patents | -28.6% |
| 2019 | 8 patents | +60.0% |
| 2020 | 7 patents | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 11 patents | +57.1% |
| 2022 | 9 patents | -18.2% |
| 2023 | 13 patents | +44.4% |
| 2024 | 10 patents | -23.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 10 patents is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3 patents, 3.3× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.12 patents | 2 patents | 9 patents | 8 |
| 2010s | 12.2 patents | 3 patents | 25 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 10 patents | 7 patents | 13 patents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More science & technology data for South Africa
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 179.34 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 89.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 8,549 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,549 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa?
- Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies in South Africa was 10 patents in 2024, according to IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25 patents in 2012.
- What is the lowest annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 patents in 2003.
- How does South Africa rank for annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies?
- South Africa ranks 7th out of 53 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual patents filed for electric vehicle technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Figures in recent years are subject to a time lag; submitted patents may not yet be reflected in the data.