Patents in force worldwide grew by 5.9% to reach around 15.9 million in 2020. The highest number of patents in force was recorded in the U.S. (3.3 million), followed by China (3.1 million), Japan (2 million) the Republic of Korea (1.1 million) and Germany (0.8 million).

China saw the fastest growth in patents in force in 2020 (+14.5%), followed by Germany (+8.1%), the U.S. (+6.9%) and the Republic of Korea (+4.6%). Japan reported a small decrease (−0.7%) in 2020.

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Details at UN Data