Patent applications, residents in South Korea

South Korea: Patent applications, residents was 186,245 in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
186,245
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
4th
of 135 countries
All-time high
186,245
in 2021
All-time low
1,241
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Patent applications, residents in South Korea, 1980–2021

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1980200020211980: 1.2k1981: 1.3k1982: 1.6k1983: 1.6k1984: 2.0k1985: 2.7k1986: 3.6k1987: 4.9k1988: 5.7k1989: 7.0k1990: 9.1k1991: 13.3k1992: 16.0k1993: 21.4k1994: 28.6k1995: 59.2k1996: 68.4k1997: 67.4k1998: 50.6k1999: 56.0k2000: 72.8k2001: 73.7k2002: 76.6k2003: 90.3k2004: 105.2k2005: 122.2k2006: 125.5k2007: 128.7k2008: 127.1k2009: 127.3k2010: 131.8k2011: 138.0k2012: 148.1k2013: 160.0k2014: 164.1k2015: 167.3k2016: 163.4k2017: 159.1k2018: 162.6k2019: 171.6k2020: 180.5k2021: 186.2k

Source: WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 186,245 for patent applications, residents in 2021. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 34.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patent applications, residents in South Korea peaked at 186,245 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,241, in 1980.

South Korea ranks 4th of 135 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
1980s 3,164 1,241 7,020 10
1990s 38,985 9,082 68,405 10
2000s 104,947 72,831 128,701 10
2010s 156,597 131,805 171,603 10
2020s 183,361 180,477 186,245 2

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 1 China 1.43 million compare
  2. 2 United States 262,244 compare
  3. 3 Japan 222,452 compare
  4. 5 Germany 39,822 compare
  5. 6 India 26,267 compare
  6. 7 Russia 19,569 compare

See the full ranking of 147 places →

More science & technology data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is patent applications, residents in South Korea?
Patent applications, residents in South Korea was 186,245 in 2021, according to WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans.
What is the highest patent applications, residents recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 186,245 in 2021.
What is the lowest patent applications, residents recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1,241 in 1980.
How does South Korea rank for patent applications, residents?
South Korea ranks 4th out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is patent applications, residents rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans, published as part of Patent applications, residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Patent applications, residents
Source
WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the trans
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
147 places, 4,224 data points, 1980–2021
Last refreshed

Patent applications are worldwide patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedure or with a national patent office for exclusive rights for an invention--a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.