China vs European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020): Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications

China
13,210 Patents
in 2023
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
47,926 Patents
in 2023
China rank
4th
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) rank
2nd

Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications over time

  • China
  • European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
020.0k40.0k60.0k197820002023

How they compare

European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) currently reports 47,926 Patents against 13,210 Patents in China, a difference of 34,716 Patents.

That makes European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)'s figure about 3.6 times China's.

Across all 46 years both countries report, European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) has been ahead every year.

China ranks 4th and European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ranks 2nd of 88 countries.

European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) Difference Ahead
1970s 0 Patents 3,927 Patents 3,927 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
1980s 11.35 Patents 16,170 Patents 16,158 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
1990s 30.78 Patents 27,920 Patents 27,889 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2000s 918.78 Patents 49,425 Patents 48,507 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2010s 7,776 Patents 55,042 Patents 47,266 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2020s 16,864 Patents 55,091 Patents 38,227 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher environment-related technologies patents — patent applications, China or European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)?
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020), at 47,926 Patents against 13,210 Patents in China as of 2023.
What is the difference in environment-related technologies patents — patent applications between China and European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)?
34,716 Patents, with European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)?
46 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2023.
How do China and European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) rank globally for environment-related technologies patents — patent applications?
China ranks 4th and European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ranks 2nd of 88 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020): Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/environment-related-technologies-patents-patent-applications/china/european-union-27-countries-from-01-02-2020/

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About this data

Indicator
Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications
Unit
Patents
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
104 places, 4,784 data points, 1978–2023
Last refreshed

To identify patents in environment-related technologies (ENV-TECH), detailed search strategies have been developed drawing on more than 200,000 classification symbols. The search strategies encompass a broad spectrum of technologies related to environmental pollution, water scarcity, climate change mitigation.