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

European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
47,926 Patents
in 2023
United States
32,970 Patents
in 2023
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) rank
2nd
United States rank
1st

Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications over time

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

How they compare

European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) currently reports 47,926 Patents against 32,970 Patents in United States, a difference of 14,956 Patents.

That makes European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)'s figure about 1.5 times United States's.

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

European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 3 regions.

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 European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) United States Difference Ahead
1970s 3,927 Patents 2,292 Patents 1,634 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
1980s 16,170 Patents 10,411 Patents 5,759 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
1990s 27,920 Patents 21,673 Patents 6,247 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2000s 49,425 Patents 34,795 Patents 14,631 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2010s 55,042 Patents 39,615 Patents 15,427 Patents European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020)
2020s 55,091 Patents 40,486 Patents 14,605 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, European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) or United States?
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020), at 47,926 Patents against 32,970 Patents in United States as of 2023.
What is the difference in environment-related technologies patents — patent applications between European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) and United States?
14,956 Patents, with European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) and United States?
46 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2023.
How do European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) and United States rank globally for environment-related technologies patents — patent applications?
European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 3 regions.
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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European Union (27 countries from 01/02/2020) vs United States: Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/environment-related-technologies-patents-patent-applications/european-union-27-countries-from-01-02-2020/united-states-2/

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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.