Technology
Which Countries are Granted the Most New Patents?
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Which Countries are Granted the Most New Patents?
Every year, the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) tracks hundreds of thousands of patents across industries.
These patents grant their inventors exclusive intellectual property rights over their creations. They encourage new ideas, spur scientific development, and lead to new technologies and entire sectors being born.
However, the number of patents granted varies greatly across nations. When viewing the origin of each patent’s applicant, we see a handful of countries dominating certain industries.
In this graphic, Jacqueline Ann DeStefano-Tangorra uses 2021 WIPO data to showcase which countries were granted the most new patents, along with their sector categorizations.
Countries with the Most New Patents
In 2021, out of 1,608,375 patents across multiple fields, 87% were granted to innovators from just six countries.
Applicants by Country | Granted Patents (2021) | % of Total |
---|---|---|
🇨🇳 China | 607,758 | 37.8% |
🇺🇸 United States | 286,205 | 17.8% |
🇯🇵 Japan | 256,890 | 16.0% |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 156,972 | 9.8% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 69,672 | 4.3% |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 20,009 | 1.2% |
❓ Unknown | 24,677 | 1.5% |
🌎 Other Countries | 186,192 | 11.6% |
World Total | 1,608,375 | 100.0% |
After rapidly increasing its patent output in recent years, China topped the chart in 29 out of 36 total fields including computer technology, electrical machinery, and digital communication. The Chinese government’s focus on innovation led to the nation’s applicants receiving 38% of the 1.6 million patents granted in 2021.
The United States—home to the world’s largest tech companies—came in second with 286,205 granted patents by origin. The U.S. also topped four fields of its own: medical technology, engines and turbines, basic communication processes, and unknown (for inventions that can’t be assigned to a specific field).
Not far behind is Japan with 256,890 granted patents. It dominated the other nations in the fields of semiconductors, optics, and furniture and games, cementing its well-earned reputation of technological innovation.
“Unknown” origin applicants, for which the nationality or country of residence couldn’t be determined for the inventor(s), accounted for 24,677 of granted patents.
The Origin of New Patents by Field
When assessing which technological fields inventors are pursuing in 2021, it’s not unexpected that digital and electrical technologies are in the lead:
Rank | Main Field of Technology | % of Granted Patents |
---|---|---|
1 | Computer technology | 10.3% |
2 | Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy | 6.6% |
3 | Digital communication | 6.5% |
4 | Measurement | 5.9% |
5 | Medical technology | 4.8% |
6 | Transport | 4.5% |
7 | Civil engineering | 3.7% |
8 | Other special machines | 3.6% |
9 | Audio visual technology | 3.3% |
10 | Semiconductors | 3.3% |
11 | Machine tools | 2.9% |
12 | Chemical engineering | 2.8% |
13 | Handling | 2.7% |
14 | Optics | 2.6% |
15 | Pharmaceuticals | 2.4% |
16 | Materials, metallurgy | 2.4% |
17 | Control | 2.4% |
18 | Mechanical elements | 2.3% |
19 | Telecommunications | 2.3% |
20 | Furniture & games | 2.3% |
21 | Basic materials chemistry | 2.3% |
22 | Engines, pumps, turbines | 2.2% |
23 | Biotechnology | 2.1% |
24 | Organic fine chemistry | 2.0% |
25 | IT methods for management | 1.9% |
26 | Macromolecular chemistry, polymers | 1.7% |
27 | Other consumer goods | 1.7% |
28 | Environmental technology | 1.6% |
29 | Thermal Processes and apparatus | 1.6% |
30 | Surface technology, coating | 1.5% |
31 | Textile & paper machines | 1.5% |
32 | Food chemistry | 0.9% |
33 | Basic communication processes | 0.6% |
34 | Analysis of biological material | 0.6% |
35 | Micro structural & nano technology | 0.2% |
36 | Unknown | 0.003% |
There are also many patents granted mainly in infrastructure-related fields, which have become all the more important following the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing focus on trade.
These include medical technology, transport, civil engineering, and semiconductors.
A Tech-Savvy Future
The number of patents granted in 2021 is a testament to the growing importance of innovation around the world.
While a select few nations have dominated the patent landscape so far, there are many others making significant contributions to innovation and intellectual property.
As technology continues to advance and the global economy becomes more interconnected, the importance of intellectual property rights will only continue to grow.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Brands
How Tech Logos Have Evolved Over Time
From complete overhauls to more subtle tweaks, these tech logos have had quite a journey. Featuring: Google, Apple, and more.
How Tech Logos Have Evolved Over Time
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
One would be hard-pressed to find a company that has never changed its logo. Granted, some brands—like Rolex, IBM, and Coca-Cola—tend to just have more minimalistic updates. But other companies undergo an entire identity change, thus necessitating a full overhaul.
In this graphic, we visualized the evolution of prominent tech companies’ logos over time. All of these brands ranked highly in a Q1 2024 YouGov study of America’s most famous tech brands. The logo changes are sourced from 1000logos.net.
How Many Times Has Google Changed Its Logo?
Google and Facebook share a 98% fame rating according to YouGov. But while Facebook’s rise was captured in The Social Network (2010), Google’s history tends to be a little less lionized in popular culture.
For example, Google was initially called “Backrub” because it analyzed “back links” to understand how important a website was. Since its founding, Google has undergone eight logo changes, finally settling on its current one in 2015.
Company | Number of Logo Changes |
---|---|
8 | |
HP | 8 |
Amazon | 6 |
Microsoft | 6 |
Samsung | 6 |
Apple | 5* |
Note: *Includes color changes. Source: 1000Logos.net
Another fun origin story is Microsoft, which started off as Traf-O-Data, a traffic counter reading company that generated reports for traffic engineers. By 1975, the company was renamed. But it wasn’t until 2012 that Microsoft put the iconic Windows logo—still the most popular desktop operating system—alongside its name.
And then there’s Samsung, which started as a grocery trading store in 1938. Its pivot to electronics started in the 1970s with black and white television sets. For 55 years, the company kept some form of stars from its first logo, until 1993, when the iconic encircled blue Samsung logo debuted.
Finally, Apple’s first logo in 1976 featured Isaac Newton reading under a tree—moments before an apple fell on his head. Two years later, the iconic bitten apple logo would be designed at Steve Jobs’ behest, and it would take another two decades for it to go monochrome.
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