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.
Technology
Countries With the Highest Rates of Crypto Ownership
While the U.S. is a major market for cryptocurrencies, two countries surpass it in terms of their rates of crypto ownership.
Countries With the Highest Rates of Crypto Ownership
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.
This graphic ranks the top 10 countries by their rate of cryptocurrency ownership, which is the percentage of the population that owns crypto. These figures come from crypto payment gateway, Triple-A, and are as of 2023.
Data and Highlights
The table below lists the rates of crypto ownership in the top 10 countries, as well as the number of people this amounts to.
Country | % of Population Who Own Crypto | # of Crypto Owners |
---|---|---|
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 30.4 | 3M |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 21.2 | 21M |
🇺🇸 U.S. | 15.6 | 53M |
🇮🇷 Iran | 13.5 | 12M |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 13.4 | 16M |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 12 | 26M |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 11.4 | 4M |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 11.1 | 665K |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | 10.6 | 4M |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | 10.3 | 3M |
Note that if we were to rank countries based on their actual number of crypto owners, India would rank first at 93 million people, China would rank second at 59 million people, and the U.S. would rank third at 52 million people.
The UAE Takes the Top Spot
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) boasts the highest rates of crypto ownership globally. The country’s government is considered to be very crypto friendly, as described in Henley & Partners’ Crypto Wealth Report 2023:
In the UAE, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA-ADGM) was the first to provide rules and regulations regarding cryptocurrency purchasing and selling. The Emirates are generally very open to new technologies and have proposed zero taxes for crypto owners and businesses.
Vietnam leads Southeast Asia
According to the Crypto Council for Innovation, cryptocurrency holdings in Vietnam are also untaxed, making them an attractive asset.
Another reason for Vietnam’s high rates of ownership could be its large unbanked population (people without access to financial services). Cryptocurrencies may provide an alternative means of accessing these services without relying on traditional banks.
Learn More About Crypto From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out The World’s Largest Corporate Holders of Bitcoin, which ranks the top 12 publicly traded companies by their Bitcoin holdings.
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