Patent applications provides an indication of the number of new innovations being developed that could be relevant for implementation. It should be noted that this is just one pathway to potential impact on industry and the economy. Many patent applications may not be succesful and even if awarded patents may not be licensed or used. Equally there are alternative routes to implementation for many innovations that would not involve a patent being filed. However, this provides a useful indicator of one potential route to impact and gives an indication of the overall level of innovative activity in the sector. Source: European Patent Office
| Geo | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | - |
| Austria | 237.0 | 221.0 | 213.0 | 209.0 | 225.0 | 215.0 | 217.0 | 252.0 | 235.0 | 256.0 |
| Belgium | 393.0 | 309.0 | 358.0 | 374.0 | 374.0 | 420.0 | 448.0 | 472.0 | 529.0 | 574.0 |
| Bulgaria | - | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| Switzerland | 1,341.0 | 1,301.0 | 1,278.0 | 1,310.0 | 1,393.0 | 1,508.0 | 1,476.0 | 1,757.0 | 1,796.0 | 1,777.0 |
| Cyprus | 11.0 | 14.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 21.0 |
| Czech Republic | 25.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 32.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 | 45.0 | 47.0 | 46.0 |
| Germany | 3,247.0 | 3,594.0 | 3,050.0 | 2,803.0 | 2,793.0 | 2,736.0 | 2,864.0 | 2,880.0 | 2,821.0 | 2,886.0 |
| Denmark | 520.0 | 509.0 | 577.0 | 629.0 | 559.0 | 570.0 | 658.0 | 708.0 | 676.0 | 735.0 |
| Estonia | 7.0 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| Spain | 314.0 | 338.0 | 319.0 | 343.0 | 350.0 | 334.0 | 380.0 | 437.0 | 446.0 | 453.0 |
| Finland | 95.0 | 84.0 | 116.0 | 105.0 | 120.0 | 149.0 | 147.0 | 130.0 | 127.0 | 114.0 |
| France | 1,356.0 | 1,307.0 | 1,329.0 | 1,427.0 | 1,467.0 | 1,506.0 | 1,690.0 | 1,624.0 | 1,656.0 | 1,871.0 |
| United Kingdom | 810.0 | 793.0 | 706.0 | 712.0 | 723.0 | 842.0 | 951.0 | 1,036.0 | 1,081.0 | 1,138.0 |
| Greece | 6.0 | 16.0 | 12.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 19.0 | 28.0 | 30.0 | 31.0 | 31.0 |
| Croatia | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Hungary | 33.0 | 25.0 | 21.0 | 33.0 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 21.0 | 29.0 | 26.0 | 24.0 |
| Ireland | 228.0 | 175.0 | 149.0 | 236.0 | 207.0 | 239.0 | 200.0 | 249.0 | 296.0 | 334.0 |
| Iceland | 25.0 | 25.0 | 22.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 21.0 | 27.0 | 11.0 | 22.0 | 20.0 |
| Italy | 463.0 | 400.0 | 423.0 | 396.0 | 501.0 | 468.0 | 520.0 | 516.0 | 523.0 | 616.0 |
| Lithuania | 4.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 |
| Luxembourg | 49.0 | 47.0 | 66.0 | 57.0 | 84.0 | 95.0 | 71.0 | 70.0 | 80.0 | 70.0 |
| Latvia | 6.0 | 3.0 | 18.0 | - | 10.0 | 2.0 | - | 4.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| North Macedonia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Malta | 6.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 19.0 | 38.0 | 38.0 | 21.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 12.0 |
| Netherlands | 1,002.0 | 903.0 | 1,310.0 | 1,678.0 | 1,599.0 | 1,336.0 | 1,369.0 | 1,460.0 | 1,330.0 | 1,246.0 |
| Norway | 81.0 | 87.0 | 67.0 | 77.0 | 62.0 | 86.0 | 100.0 | 85.0 | 97.0 | 91.0 |
| Poland | 35.0 | 43.0 | 37.0 | 54.0 | 80.0 | 59.0 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 90.0 | 100.0 |
| Portugal | 27.0 | 11.0 | 16.0 | 26.0 | 36.0 | 28.0 | 25.0 | 34.0 | 61.0 | 78.0 |
| Romania | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Serbia | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | - | - | 1.0 | - | 1.0 |
| Sweden | 428.0 | 411.0 | 348.0 | 326.0 | 349.0 | 351.0 | 373.0 | 403.0 | 396.0 | 475.0 |
| Slovenia | 43.0 | 23.0 | 33.0 | 20.0 | 14.0 | 18.0 | 23.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 37.0 |
| Slovakia | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Turkey | 67.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 | 87.0 | 76.0 | 51.0 | 89.0 | 58.0 | 64.0 | 100.0 |