Germany: Patent applications by residents

For that indicator, we provide data for Germany from 1980 to 2020. The average value for Germany during that period was 41559 patent applications with a minimum of 28683 patent applications in 1980 and a maximum of 51736 patent applications in 2000. The latest value from 2020 is 42260 patent applications. For comparison, the world average in 2020 based on 117 countries is 19040 patent applications. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

Definition: Patent applications are worldwide patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedure or with a national patent office for exclusive rights for an invention--a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.