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Daily Data InsightsChina is the largest contributor to global patent applications, substantially ahead of other countries

China is the largest contributor to global patent applications, substantially ahead of other countries

Line chart showing annual patent applications from 1980 to 2021 for China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and India. China shows a sharp increase starting around 2010, surpassing all other countries and reaching over 1.4 million applications by 2021. Other countries remain below 400,000 applications, with Japan’s applications declining since 2000.

China’s patent applications have grown rapidly in recent decades, as shown in the chart. Chinese applications surpassed US applications in 2010, reaching over 1.4 million in 2021. According to this data from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China’s applications accounted for more than half of the global total in 2021.

In contrast, patent applications in the US have seen little growth in recent years, while in Japan, filings have steadily declined since 2000.

Innovations are patented due to economic incentives. A patent protects the invention to the owner for a limited period, often 20 years. This is why policymakers and researchers frequently compare annual patent filings across countries — new patents are considered a proxy for the pace of innovation.

However, patents are just one aspect of innovation. A country’s innovation system is shaped by a complex network of research, development, and commercialization, and patent applications are just one part of this broader process.

Read more about technological progress

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