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.
Cryptocurrency
Visualizing the 15 Most Valuable Bitcoin Addresses
The most valuable Bitcoin address is worth $17.5B.
Visualizing the 15 Most Valuable Bitcoin Addresses
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.
A Bitcoin address is a unique identifier consisting of 26 to 62 alphanumeric characters used to receive bitcoins.
These addresses serve as the destination for transactions on the Bitcoin network, ensuring that funds are sent to the correct recipient.
This graphic ranks the 15 most valuable Bitcoin addresses globally as of May 2024, based on BitInfoCharts’ Bitcoin Rich List.
How Bitcoin Works
Bitcoin is considered the world’s most valuable digital currency.
Unlike fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar, which central banks back, a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin is supported by an underlying blockchain. This blockchain records every Bitcoin transaction in a public, decentralized, and distributed ledger.
Every time bitcoins are spent, a digital transaction record must be validated and added to the blockchain. Miners undertake this task, legitimizing and auditing Bitcoin transactions while earning bitcoins as a reward.
34xp4vRoCGJym3xR7yCVPFHoCNxv4Twseo
According to BitInfoCharts, the world’s top Bitcoin address dates back to October 2018, with a balance of 0.1 BTC (worth $660 at the time).
Since then, it has experienced several massive swings in value, reaching 180,000 BTC ($1.7B) in November 2019 and then falling to 1,370 BTC ($9.4M) in April 2020.
Rank | Balance (BTC) | Value (USD) | Address |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 248,597 | $17.5B | 34xp4vRoCGJym3xR7yCVPFHoCNxv4Twseo |
2 | 180,010 | $12.7B | bc1qgdjqv0av3q56jvd82tkdjpy7gdp9ut8tlqmgrpmv24sq90ecnvqqjwvw97 |
3 | 136,295 | $9.6B | bc1ql49ydapnjafl5t2cp9zqpjwe6pdgmxy98859v2 |
4 | 94,643 | $6.7B | bc1qazcm763858nkj2dj986etajv6wquslv8uxwczt |
5 | 82,833 | $5.8B | 3M219KR5vEneNb47ewrPfWyb5jQ2DjxRP6 |
6 | 79,957 | $5.6B | 1FeexV6bAHb8ybZjqQMjJrcCrHGW9sb6uF |
7 | 78,317 | $5.5B | bc1q8yj0herd4r4yxszw3nkfvt53433thk0f5qst4g |
8 | 75,354 | $5.3B | bc1qjasf9z3h7w3jspkhtgatgpyvvzgpa2wwd2lr0eh5tx44reyn2k7sfc27a4 |
9 | 75,177 | $5.3B | 3E97AjYaCq9QYnfFMtBCYiCEsN956Rvpj2 |
10 | 69,370 | $4.9B | bc1qa5wkgaew2dkv56kfvj49j0av5nml45x9ek9hz6 |
11 | 68,200 | $4.8B | 3LYJfcfHPXYJreMsASk2jkn69LWEYKzexb |
12 | 66,975 | $4.7B | 1Ay8vMC7R1UbyCCZRVULMV7iQpHSAbguJP |
13 | 59,300 | $4.2B | bc1qd4ysezhmypwty5dnw7c8nqy5h5nxg0xqsvaefd0qn5kq32vwnwqqgv4rzr |
14 | 53,880 | $3.8B | 1LdRcdxfbSnmCYYNdeYpUnztiYzVfBEQeC |
15 | 51,830 | $3.6B | 1AC4fMwgY8j9onSbXEWeH6Zan8QGMSdmtA |
Beginning in late 2020, this address began accumulating bitcoins at a rapid pace, reaching 300,000 BTC ($10.3B) in July 2021.
Since January 2023, its BTC balance has remained constant at around 248,597 BTC.
If you enjoyed this post, check out Ranking the Largest Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. In this graphic, we rank the top eight Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. by their total assets under management.
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