Unveiling Changes in Patent Application of Five Main Regions

Japan was the global leader in patent applications until 2018, when it was surpassed by the United States

In the latter half of the 20th century, Japan established itself as a major manufacturing force, especially in automobiles and electronics, leading to technological advancements and increased patent applications.

While the United States has now overtaken Japan in terms of application numbers in 2018, Japan's extensive technical expertise and talent, particularly in fields like semiconductors, suggest that it may still possess advantages in the future.

Additionally, the intense competitiveness of American companies in the global market drives them to aggressively protect their technologies and innovations, resulting in a higher number of patent applications compared to other countries.

Since 2010, China's patent applications have been rapidly increasing, surpassing the rest of the world in 2019

The Chinese government has shown strong commitment to the development and improvement of their intellectual property systems. They have implemented strategies, collaborated with the State Intellectual Property Organization in 1980, and signed multilateral agreements, such as The Hague Agreement in 2022. As a result, many enterprises and individuals have been encouraged to apply for patents. The number of patent applications in 2022 was about 167 times higher than it was in 1989.

Korea, Rep. is the leader in terms of patent applications per million people

In 2022, the average number of applications per million people in the five regions is 120. Korea, Rep., Japan, and the United States have numbers above the average, while China and Europe have numbers below the average.

While China has the highest number of patent applications overall, its number of applications per million people is only 115. Korea Req. has an average total number of patent applications, but its number of applications per million people is 460, which is 283% higher than the average of the five regions.

Methodology

We collected patent application data from the World Intellectual Property Organization and examined changes in the number of applications from 1989 to 2022 in five regions. Taking the population of each region in 2022 from the World Bank, we calculated the number of patent applications per million people. Based on this information, we reached the aforementioned conclusion.

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