Patents - technology diffusion in China
China: Patents - technology diffusion was 1.77 million Patents in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Patents - technology diffusion in China, 1990–2023
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.
Patents - technology diffusion in China, year by year
| Year | Patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10,312 Patents | — |
| 1991 | 10,975 Patents | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 13,936 Patents | +27.0% |
| 1993 | 19,698 Patents | +41.3% |
| 1994 | 25,431 Patents | +29.1% |
| 1995 | 29,822 Patents | +17.3% |
| 1996 | 35,641 Patents | +19.5% |
| 1997 | 40,614 Patents | +14.0% |
| 1998 | 44,612 Patents | +9.8% |
| 1999 | 49,052 Patents | +10.0% |
| 2000 | 63,192 Patents | +28.8% |
| 2001 | 75,474 Patents | +19.4% |
| 2002 | 98,194 Patents | +30.1% |
| 2003 | 127,116 Patents | +29.5% |
| 2004 | 149,682 Patents | +17.8% |
| 2005 | 185,103 Patents | +23.7% |
| 2006 | 218,032 Patents | +17.8% |
| 2007 | 242,215 Patents | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 282,630 Patents | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 321,569 Patents | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 387,235 Patents | +20.4% |
| 2011 | 491,168 Patents | +26.8% |
| 2012 | 616,817 Patents | +25.6% |
| 2013 | 760,075 Patents | +23.2% |
| 2014 | 847,009 Patents | +11.4% |
| 2015 | 1.00 million Patents | +18.4% |
| 2016 | 1.22 million Patents | +21.5% |
| 2017 | 1.43 million Patents | +17.8% |
| 2018 | 1.58 million Patents | +10.1% |
| 2019 | 1.44 million Patents | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 1.63 million Patents | +13.6% |
| 2021 | 1.65 million Patents | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 1.70 million Patents | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 1.77 million Patents | +3.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.77 million Patents is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14 Patents, 126377.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- China's 1.77 million Patents is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 128 Patents, 13822.6× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More science & technology data for China
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 131.75 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.33 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 1.87 billion (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 194.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.73 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 932,712 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0007 units per person (2023)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
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