Patents - technology diffusion in China

China: Patents - technology diffusion was 1.77 million Patents in 2023. β—† Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.77 million Patents
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
1st
of 104 countries
All-time high
1.77 million Patents
in 2023
All-time low
10,312 Patents
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Patents - technology diffusion in China, 1990–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1990200620231990: 10.3k Patents1991: 11.0k Patents1992: 13.9k Patents1993: 19.7k Patents1994: 25.4k Patents1995: 29.8k Patents1996: 35.6k Patents1997: 40.6k Patents1998: 44.6k Patents1999: 49.1k Patents2000: 63.2k Patents2001: 75.5k Patents2002: 98.2k Patents2003: 127.1k Patents2004: 149.7k Patents2005: 185.1k Patents2006: 218.0k Patents2007: 242.2k Patents2008: 282.6k Patents2009: 321.6k Patents2010: 387.2k Patents2011: 491.2k Patents2012: 616.8k Patents2013: 760.1k Patents2014: 847.0k Patents2015: 1.0M Patents2016: 1.2M Patents2017: 1.4M Patents2018: 1.6M Patents2019: 1.4M Patents2020: 1.6M Patents2021: 1.7M Patents2022: 1.7M Patents2023: 1.8M Patents

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Patents.

Analysis

China recorded 1.77 million Patents for patents - technology diffusion in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 132.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patents - technology diffusion in China peaked at 1.77 million Patents in 2023 and was at its lowest, 10,312 Patents, in 1990.

China ranks 1st of 104 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28,009 Patents 10,312 Patents 49,052 Patents 10
2000s 176,321 Patents 63,192 Patents 321,569 Patents 10
2010s 977,251 Patents 387,235 Patents 1.58 million Patents 10
2020s 1.69 million Patents 1.63 million Patents 1.77 million Patents 4

Countries ranked near China

  1. 2 United States 370,325 Patents compare
  2. 3 Japan 251,752 Patents compare
  3. 4 TaΓ―wan 55,572 Patents compare

See the full ranking of 118 places β†’

More science & technology data for China

All data for China β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is patents - technology diffusion in China?
Patents - technology diffusion in China was 1.77 million Patents in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest patents - technology diffusion recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 1.77 million Patents in 2023.
What is the lowest patents - technology diffusion recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 10,312 Patents in 1990.
How does China rank for patents - technology diffusion?
China ranks 1st out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
Is patents - technology diffusion rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 132.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Patents - technology diffusion. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Patents - technology diffusion in China. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/patents-technology-diffusion/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Patents - technology diffusion
Unit
Patents
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
118 places, 3,266 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Patent statistics and indicators are suitable for tracking innovation in environment-related technologies. They allow the assessment of countries' innovation performance as well as the design of governments' environmental and innovation policies. This dataset presents data on patent applications by patent office. For more information on the methodology, click the link below on "Database documentation" Data source(s): OECD, STI Micro-data Lab: Intellectual Property Database, http://oe.cd/ipstats Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: April 16, 2026 Database documentation