Patents - technology diffusion in Japan

Japan: Patents - technology diffusion was 251,752 Patents in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
251,752 Patents
Change on year
down 8.2%
World rank
3rd
of 104 countries
All-time high
426,927 Patents
in 2001
All-time low
251,752 Patents
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Patents - technology diffusion in Japan, 1990–2023

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1990200620231990: 364.6k Patents1991: 365.5k Patents1992: 366.6k Patents1993: 359.9k Patents1994: 346.0k Patents1995: 362.4k Patents1996: 370.9k Patents1997: 384.0k Patents1998: 396.1k Patents1999: 398.7k Patents2000: 426.3k Patents2001: 426.9k Patents2002: 410.0k Patents2003: 405.1k Patents2004: 414.0k Patents2005: 416.5k Patents2006: 395.9k Patents2007: 377.8k Patents2008: 368.0k Patents2009: 334.6k Patents2010: 331.8k Patents2011: 328.0k Patents2012: 328.7k Patents2013: 316.9k Patents2014: 314.0k Patents2015: 304.2k Patents2016: 304.2k Patents2017: 303.3k Patents2018: 300.1k Patents2019: 294.4k Patents2020: 280.6k Patents2021: 278.9k Patents2022: 274.2k Patents2023: 251.8k Patents

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

Analysis

In 2023, patents - technology diffusion in Japan stood at 251,752 Patents. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.

That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and down 20.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patents - technology diffusion in Japan peaked at 426,927 Patents in 2001 and was at its lowest, 251,752 Patents, in 2023.

That places Japan 3rd out of 104 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 371,482 Patents 346,037 Patents 398,652 Patents 10
2000s 397,516 Patents 334,635 Patents 426,927 Patents 10
2010s 312,548 Patents 294,359 Patents 331,812 Patents 10
2020s 271,359 Patents 251,752 Patents 280,626 Patents 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 1 China (People’s Republic of) 1.77 million Patents compare
  2. 2 United States 370,325 Patents compare
  3. 4 Taïwan 55,572 Patents compare
  4. 5 Germany 52,279 Patents compare
  5. 6 Australia 37,316 Patents compare

See the full ranking of 118 places →

More science & technology data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is patents - technology diffusion in Japan?
Patents - technology diffusion in Japan was 251,752 Patents in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest patents - technology diffusion recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 426,927 Patents in 2001.
What is the lowest patents - technology diffusion recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 251,752 Patents in 2023.
How does Japan rank for patents - technology diffusion?
Japan ranks 3rd out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
Is patents - technology diffusion rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/patents-technology-diffusion/japan/

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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