Patents - technology diffusion in United States

United States: Patents - technology diffusion was 370,325 Patents in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
370,325 Patents
Change on year
down 13.8%
World rank
2nd
of 104 countries
All-time high
441,862 Patents
in 2020
All-time low
120,594 Patents
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Patents - technology diffusion in United States, 1990–2023

100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k1990200620231990: 122.2k Patents1991: 120.6k Patents1992: 123.9k Patents1993: 135.2k Patents1994: 153.1k Patents1995: 178.9k Patents1996: 182.0k Patents1997: 209.8k Patents1998: 210.1k Patents1999: 229.6k Patents2000: 259.7k Patents2001: 298.8k Patents2002: 306.0k Patents2003: 319.5k Patents2004: 363.3k Patents2005: 394.5k Patents2006: 375.9k Patents2007: 371.2k Patents2008: 361.2k Patents2009: 337.8k Patents2010: 352.4k Patents2011: 373.6k Patents2012: 398.2k Patents2013: 418.2k Patents2014: 410.1k Patents2015: 412.6k Patents2016: 415.1k Patents2017: 423.1k Patents2018: 425.2k Patents2019: 440.5k Patents2020: 441.9k Patents2021: 438.4k Patents2022: 429.7k Patents2023: 370.3k Patents

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for patents - technology diffusion in United States is 370,325 Patents, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 13.8% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patents - technology diffusion in United States peaked at 441,862 Patents in 2020 and was at its lowest, 120,594 Patents, in 1991.

That places United States 2nd out of 104 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 166,536 Patents 120,594 Patents 229,608 Patents 10
2000s 338,783 Patents 259,697 Patents 394,521 Patents 10
2010s 406,901 Patents 352,439 Patents 440,520 Patents 10
2020s 420,060 Patents 370,325 Patents 441,862 Patents 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 China 1.77 million Patents compare
  2. 3 Japan 251,752 Patents compare
  3. 4 Taïwan 55,572 Patents compare
  4. 5 Germany 52,279 Patents compare

See the full ranking of 118 places →

More science & technology data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is patents - technology diffusion in United States?
Patents - technology diffusion in United States was 370,325 Patents in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest patents - technology diffusion recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 441,862 Patents in 2020.
What is the lowest patents - technology diffusion recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 120,594 Patents in 1991.
How does United States rank for patents - technology diffusion?
United States ranks 2nd out of 104 countries with data for 2023.
Is patents - technology diffusion rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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 United States. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/patents-technology-diffusion/united-states/

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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