Countries by Foreign Patents

What Patent Applications (Non Residents) Measures

Patent Applications (Non Residents) is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.

Why This Ranking Matters

Examining Patent Applications (Non Residents) across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.

Global Range

Values range from 1.00 (Estonia) to 329.2K (United States) — a 329.2K-fold difference across 135 countries.

Regional Patterns

Asian countries dominate this ranking, holding 11 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.

The distribution is highly right-skewed — a few countries have exceptionally high values that pull the average well above the median. The median (137) is far more representative than the mean (6.7K).

Notable Outliers

United States stands far above the rest, with a value 107% higher than second-place China. This extraordinary lead suggests unique national circumstances — geographic scale, resource endowment, or policy choices — that set it apart from even its closest competitors.

Continental Leaders

North America

United States

329.2K

Asia

China

159.0K

Oceania

Australia

29.4K

South America

Brazil

19.6K

Europe

Germany

18.7K

Africa

South Africa

9.2K