Patent applications, residents in United States

United States: Patent applications, residents was 262,244 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
262,244
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
2nd
of 135 countries
All-time high
295,327
in 2016
All-time low
59,391
in 1983
Years of data
42
1980–2021

Patent applications, residents in United States, 1980–2021

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k1980200020211980: 62.1k1981: 62.4k1982: 63.3k1983: 59.4k1984: 61.8k1985: 63.7k1986: 65.2k1987: 68.3k1988: 75.2k1989: 82.4k1990: 90.6k1991: 88.0k1992: 92.4k1993: 100.0k1994: 107.2k1995: 124.0k1996: 106.9k1997: 119.2k1998: 134.7k1999: 149.3k2000: 164.8k2001: 177.5k2002: 184.2k2003: 188.9k2004: 189.5k2005: 207.9k2006: 221.8k2007: 241.3k2008: 231.6k2009: 224.9k2010: 242.0k2011: 247.8k2012: 268.8k2013: 287.8k2014: 285.1k2015: 288.3k2016: 295.3k2017: 293.9k2018: 285.1k2019: 285.1k2020: 269.6k2021: 262.2k

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

The most recent figure for patent applications, residents in United States is 262,244, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patent applications, residents in United States peaked at 295,327 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 59,391, in 1983.

United States ranks 2nd of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 66,380 59,391 82,370 10
1990s 111,226 87,955 149,251 10
2000s 203,253 164,795 241,347 10
2010s 277,921 241,977 295,327 10
2020s 265,915 262,244 269,586 2

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 China 1.43 million compare
  2. 3 Japan 222,452 compare
  3. 4 South Korea 186,245 compare
  4. 5 Germany 39,822 compare

See the full ranking of 147 places →

More science & technology data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is patent applications, residents in United States?
Patent applications, residents in United States was 262,244 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 United States?
The highest recorded value was 295,327 in 2016.
What is the lowest patent applications, residents recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 59,391 in 1983.
How does United States rank for patent applications, residents?
United States ranks 2nd out of 135 countries with data for 2021.
Is patent applications, residents rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.

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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.