Germany vs United States: Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications

Germany
18,453 Patents
in 2023
United States
32,970 Patents
in 2023
Germany rank
2nd
United States rank
1st

Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications over time

  • Germany
  • United States
010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k197820002023

How they compare

United States currently reports 32,970 Patents against 18,453 Patents in Germany, a difference of 14,517 Patents.

That makes United States's figure about 1.8 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 46 shared years of data; in 1978 it was Germany ahead.

Germany ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 88 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 1 and United States in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany United States Difference Ahead
1970s 2,297 Patents 2,292 Patents 4.65 Patents Germany
1980s 8,275 Patents 10,411 Patents 2,136 Patents United States
1990s 13,402 Patents 21,673 Patents 8,271 Patents United States
2000s 22,481 Patents 34,795 Patents 12,314 Patents United States
2010s 22,949 Patents 39,615 Patents 16,666 Patents United States
2020s 21,036 Patents 40,486 Patents 19,449 Patents United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher environment-related technologies patents — patent applications, Germany or United States?
United States, at 32,970 Patents against 18,453 Patents in Germany as of 2023.
What is the difference in environment-related technologies patents — patent applications between Germany and United States?
14,517 Patents, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
46 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2023.
How do Germany and United States rank globally for environment-related technologies patents — patent applications?
Germany ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st 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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Germany vs United States: Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/environment-related-technologies-patents-patent-applications/germany/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.