Patents - technology diffusion in Spain
Spain: Patents - technology diffusion was 2,098 Patents in 2023. ▼ Falling
Patents - technology diffusion in Spain, 1990–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Patents.
Analysis
In 2023, patents - technology diffusion in Spain stood at 2,098 Patents. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.8% on the previous year and down 86.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, patents - technology diffusion in Spain peaked at 18,040 Patents in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2,098 Patents, in 2023.
That places Spain 19th out of 104 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Patents - technology diffusion in Spain, year by year
| Year | Patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16,110 Patents | — |
| 1991 | 13,952 Patents | -13.4% |
| 1992 | 13,678 Patents | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 13,982 Patents | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 14,610 Patents | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 14,935 Patents | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 15,084 Patents | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 15,568 Patents | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 16,363 Patents | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 17,402 Patents | +6.3% |
| 2000 | 18,040 Patents | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 17,547 Patents | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 16,960 Patents | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 16,581 Patents | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 16,481 Patents | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 15,793 Patents | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 15,371 Patents | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 15,231 Patents | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 15,440 Patents | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 15,355 Patents | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 15,082 Patents | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 15,089 Patents | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 15,106 Patents | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 15,409 Patents | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 15,742 Patents | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 14,007 Patents | -11.0% |
| 2016 | 14,419 Patents | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 14,267 Patents | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 13,366 Patents | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 11,563 Patents | -13.5% |
| 2020 | 9,944 Patents | -14.0% |
| 2021 | 6,977 Patents | -29.8% |
| 2022 | 4,264 Patents | -38.9% |
| 2023 | 2,098 Patents | -50.8% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 2,098 Patents is above the median for high income countries, which is 659 Patents, 3.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Spain's 2,098 Patents is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 167 Patents, 12.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Patents - technology diffusion in Spain changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -50.8% | 4,264 Patents | 2,098 Patents |
| 2022 | -38.9% | 6,977 Patents | 4,264 Patents |
| 2021 | -29.8% | 9,944 Patents | 6,977 Patents |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15,168 Patents | 13,678 Patents | 17,402 Patents | 10 |
| 2000s | 16,280 Patents | 15,231 Patents | 18,040 Patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,405 Patents | 11,563 Patents | 15,742 Patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,821 Patents | 2,098 Patents | 9,944 Patents | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More science & technology data for Spain
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 130.26 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.28 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 62.41 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 122.45 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 60,304 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0012 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is patents - technology diffusion in Spain?
- Patents - technology diffusion in Spain was 2,098 Patents in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest patents - technology diffusion recorded in Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 18,040 Patents in 2000.
- What is the lowest patents - technology diffusion recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,098 Patents in 2023.
- How does Spain rank for patents - technology diffusion?
- Spain ranks 19th out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
- Is patents - technology diffusion rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 86.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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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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