Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications in OECD

OECD: Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications was 121,552 Patents in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
121,552 Patents
Change on year
down 17.8%
World rank
1st
of 88 countries
All-time high
150,060 Patents
in 2020
All-time low
3,876 Patents
in 1978
Years of data
46
1978–2023

Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications in OECD, 1978–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k197820002023

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Patents.

Analysis

The most recent figure for environment-related technologies patents — patent applications in OECD is 121,552 Patents, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 17.8% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, environment-related technologies patents — patent applications in OECD peaked at 150,060 Patents in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3,876 Patents, in 1978.

OECD ranks 1st of 88 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8,075 Patents 3,876 Patents 12,274 Patents 2
1980s 37,598 Patents 19,547 Patents 57,044 Patents 10
1990s 70,566 Patents 58,655 Patents 97,977 Patents 10
2000s 122,917 Patents 108,783 Patents 134,115 Patents 10
2010s 139,383 Patents 127,676 Patents 149,082 Patents 10
2020s 142,205 Patents 121,552 Patents 150,060 Patents 4

Countries ranked near OECD

  1. 2 Germany 18,453 Patents compare
  2. 3 Japan 15,250 Patents compare
  3. 4 China (People’s Republic of) 13,210 Patents compare

See the full ranking of 104 places →

More environment data for OECD

All data for OECD →

Frequently asked questions

What is environment-related technologies patents — patent applications in OECD?
Environment-related technologies patents — patent applications in OECD was 121,552 Patents in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest environment-related technologies patents — patent applications recorded in OECD?
The highest recorded value was 150,060 Patents in 2020.
What is the lowest environment-related technologies patents — patent applications recorded in OECD?
The lowest recorded value was 3,876 Patents in 1978.
How does OECD rank for environment-related technologies patents — patent applications?
OECD ranks 1st out of 88 countries with data for 2023.
Is environment-related technologies patents — patent applications rising or falling in OECD?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this OECD data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Environment-related technologies patents — Patent applications in OECD. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/environment-related-technologies-patents-patent-applications/oecd/

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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.