Patent applicants and applications; technology field (WIPO concordance)

Changed on: 08/12/2025 02:00

Patent applicants and applications; technology field (WIPO concordance)
Technology area	Periods	EPO-Patent applicants (number)	EPO-Patent applications (number)	EPO-Patent Applicants with foreign cooperation (number)	EPO-Patent Applications with foreign cooperation (number)	OCNL-Patent Patent applicants (number)	OCNL-Patent Patent applications (number)	OCNL-Patent Applicants with foreign cooperation (number)	OCNL-Patent Applications with foreign cooperation (number)
All technology areas	2011	870	3,970	60	675	1,285	1,710	0	0
All technology areas	2012	895	4,015	70	635	1,195	1,560	0	0
All technology areas	2013	910	4,130	70	545	1,160	1,490	0	0
All technology areas	2014	910	4,385	70	440	1,175	1,660	15	15
All technology areas	2015	925	4,585	70	455	1,135	1,705	10	10
All technology areas	2016	910	4,195	65	455	1,115	1,615	10	10
All technology areas	2017	905	4,260	50	365	1,100	1,665	10	10
All technology areas	2018	900	4,195	80	365	1,075	1,635	15	15
All technology areas	2019	935	4,270	75	380	1,065	1,720	15	15
All technology areas	2020	980	4,255	85	485	1,105	1,645	20	20
All technology areas	2021**	970	4,305	65	515	1,100	1,635	20	15
All technology areas	2022*	565	2,660	50	205	900	1,450	10	15
I Electrical engineering	2011	158	1,179	18	174	183	251	0	0
I Electrical engineering	2012	174	1,207	23	168	188	214	0	0
I Electrical engineering	2013	185	1,301	18	116	191	233	0	0
I Electrical engineering	2014	176	1,345	13	78	177	243	1	1
I Electrical engineering	2015	168	1,275	13	90	179	223	1	1
I Electrical engineering	2016	163	1,152	17	76	189	233	1	2
I Electrical engineering	2017	173	1,268	14	81	182	243	1	1
I Electrical engineering	2018	178	1,207	17	74	162	234	3	3
I Electrical engineering	2019	186	1,222	16	101	151	219	3	3
I Electrical engineering	2020	187	1,273	26	120	176	261	7	6
I Electrical engineering	2021**	198	1,248	18	113	178	242	4	4
I Electrical engineering	2022*	119	961	18	88	144	256	5	5
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2011	58	427	7	61	66	85	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2012	68	440	9	44	63	81	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2013	82	456	7	18	75	90	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2014	75	477	6	8	69	83	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2015	78	430	5	12	66	77	1	1
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2016	66	401	9	15	79	93	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2017	79	396	6	14	85	120	0	0
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2018	77	355	7	10	76	108	1	1
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2019	90	419	7	16	79	111	3	3
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2020	84	410	10	22	84	109	1	2
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2021**	87	408	4	13	85	109	1	1
1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energ	2022*	59	234	13	25	71	113	5	5
2 Audio-visual technology	2011	39	136	5	10	32	39	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2012	34	103	4	6	38	33	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2013	34	134	7	15	30	27	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2014	38	120	2	7	29	30	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2015	36	121	3	10	34	35	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2016	30	105	5	8	30	32	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2017	32	108	3	7	29	30	1	1
2 Audio-visual technology	2018	26	95	1	2	27	31	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2019	34	94	3	13	17	19	1	2
2 Audio-visual technology	2020	38	107	4	5	23	29	1	1
2 Audio-visual technology	2021**	32	70	3	3	24	28	0	0
2 Audio-visual technology	2022*	20	54	2	2	21	27	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2011	35	114	5	16	15	14	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2012	30	123	5	14	16	13	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2013	34	119	6	14	15	13	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2014	30	145	4	11	10	9	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2015	32	118	4	13	12	12	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2016	15	131	3	10	14	12	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2017	20	122	3	7	22	20	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2018	33	126	4	10	18	20	3	2
3 Telecommunications	2019	23	114	5	10	17	18	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2020	20	130	2	7	14	18	0	0
3 Telecommunications	2021**	22	117	4	12	16	25	1	1
3 Telecommunications	2022*	17	86	2	4	11	11	0	0
4 Digital communication	2011	25	144	4	17	13	14	0	0
4 Digital communication	2012	29	169	6	22	12	11	0	0
4 Digital communication	2013	30	201	4	16	15	12	0	0
4 Digital communication	2014	44	226	4	18	17	16	0	0
4 Digital communication	2015	29	211	4	18	20	23	0	0
4 Digital communication	2016	32	185	4	17	19	19	1	1
4 Digital communication	2017	42	223	5	23	24	23	0	0
4 Digital communication	2018	33	225	8	25	16	17	2	1
4 Digital communication	2019	28	190	5	21	16	16	0	0
4 Digital communication	2020	31	228	5	24	16	18	0	0
4 Digital communication	2021**	29	174	8	26	12	13	0	0
4 Digital communication	2022*	20	159	5	25	10	11	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2011	10	57	2	5	2	3	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2012	10	73	4	5	4	3	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2013	13	87	4	8	8	7	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2014	20	81	2	2	1	1	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2015	14	86	2	8	3	3	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2016	13	74	2	6	11	12	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2017	14	74	2	4	6	5	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2018	13	80	3	5	4	7	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2019	19	66	5	4	10	13	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2020	13	55	2	2	9	15	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2021**	10	60	2	5	4	7	0	0
5 Basic communication processes	2022*	8	61	2	6	6	11	0	0
6 Computer technology	2011	57	337	10	67	42	41	0	0
6 Computer technology	2012	61	364	11	79	35	34	0	0
6 Computer technology	2013	65	402	11	64	42	46	0	0
6 Computer technology	2014	57	427	7	33	38	38	1	1
6 Computer technology	2015	57	402	9	34	33	38	0	0
6 Computer technology	2016	64	354	8	29	45	49	1	1
6 Computer technology	2017	58	421	8	34	37	39	0	0
6 Computer technology	2018	61	386	6	25	22	31	0	0
6 Computer technology	2019	64	388	8	43	21	27	0	0
6 Computer technology	2020	64	405	9	64	37	56	1	1
6 Computer technology	2021**	80	428	11	61	49	55	3	2
6 Computer technology	2022*	42	355	6	25	42	74	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2011	18	34	2	2	28	24	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2012	23	39	3	3	29	29	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2013	15	44	1	3	33	29	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2014	19	45	1	4	28	36	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2015	17	39	2	2	35	31	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2016	25	55	3	3	30	34	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2017	22	43	2	5	24	26	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2018	18	41	1	9	25	24	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2019	19	54	1	10	17	16	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2020	33	63	8	22	23	26	1	1
7 IT methods for management	2021**	15	48	1	14	11	11	0	0
7 IT methods for management	2022*	13	34	1	8	10	10	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2011	31	138	5	16	29	56	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2012	37	148	3	11	32	42	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2013	25	144	3	5	18	37	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2014	22	148	5	10	21	59	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2015	20	133	3	6	13	27	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2016	24	144	5	8	14	26	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2017	25	126	3	6	20	27	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2018	23	96	3	7	16	29	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2019	26	118	2	3	12	26	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2020	29	96	3	4	17	27	3	1
8 Semiconductors	2021**	20	151	3	6	14	28	0	0
8 Semiconductors	2022*	15	135	2	11	11	24	0	0
II Instruments	2011	202	1,126	12	222	201	267	0	0
II Instruments	2012	216	1,122	15	219	210	269	0	0
II Instruments	2013	207	1,096	20	152	165	205	0	0
II Instruments	2014	205	1,256	16	114	177	289	1	1
II Instruments	2015	231	1,307	26	111	204	377	1	2
II Instruments	2016	228	1,240	21	104	213	341	3	3
II Instruments	2017	236	1,408	21	71	200	345	0	0
II Instruments	2018	237	1,378	25	80	210	402	6	5
II Instruments	2019	256	1,365	27	98	206	399	4	5
II Instruments	2020	250	1,273	26	104	222	351	4	4
II Instruments	2021**	230	1,333	22	120	203	287	3	3
II Instruments	2022*	125	911	12	41	159	238	3	3
9 Optics	2011	37	172	4	9	16	63	0	0
9 Optics	2012	41	144	4	17	31	51	0	0
9 Optics	2013	42	134	4	6	23	44	0	0
9 Optics	2014	32	173	3	3	22	100	1	1
9 Optics	2015	28	172	3	6	20	173	1	2
9 Optics	2016	34	186	4	5	29	128	1	1
9 Optics	2017	34	244	2	3	21	134	0	0
9 Optics	2018	39	202	3	4	30	152	1	1
9 Optics	2019	49	224	7	10	23	149	0	0
9 Optics	2020	38	194	3	3	19	69	0	0
9 Optics	2021**	42	235	6	4	23	29	0	0
9 Optics	2022*	26	125	1	1	21	31	0	0
10 Measurement	2011	78	409	4	129	78	70	0	0
10 Measurement	2012	86	399	7	128	67	78	0	0
10 Measurement	2013	84	380	12	93	58	67	0	0
10 Measurement	2014	80	412	10	70	64	88	0	0
10 Measurement	2015	86	453	11	72	60	82	1	1
10 Measurement	2016	96	424	10	72	72	87	0	0
10 Measurement	2017	91	437	10	44	66	68	0	0
10 Measurement	2018	97	456	8	32	77	102	0	0
10 Measurement	2019	95	465	9	55	77	100	0	0
10 Measurement	2020	106	422	8	59	67	107	1	1
10 Measurement	2021**	86	376	7	70	72	102	0	0
10 Measurement	2022*	57	286	6	31	71	105	1	1
11 Analysis of biological materials	2011	47	93	6	13	14	9	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2012	37	61	3	7	16	21	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2013	28	47	5	13	14	14	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2014	31	53	4	7	9	9	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2015	30	59	9	13	8	9	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2016	38	53	6	11	16	16	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2017	32	55	3	4	16	14	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2018	29	71	7	14	13	23	1	1
11 Analysis of biological materials	2019	36	43	7	8	16	20	2	1
11 Analysis of biological materials	2020	44	69	9	11	16	22	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2021**	35	44	4	4	10	15	0	0
11 Analysis of biological materials	2022*	19	23	3	4	26	26	0	0
12 Control	2011	33	85	4	6	44	52	0	0
12 Control	2012	27	80	3	6	40	39	0	0
12 Control	2013	31	93	3	6	25	25	0	0
12 Control	2014	38	127	3	6	26	26	0	0
12 Control	2015	42	121	4	8	32	31	0	0
12 Control	2016	30	93	4	6	32	35	1	1
12 Control	2017	29	102	3	7	35	34	0	0
12 Control	2018	31	95	6	7	31	31	2	1
12 Control	2019	44	132	5	10	33	35	1	3
12 Control	2020	41	105	6	13	35	34	0	0
12 Control	2021**	32	81	3	10	30	34	0	0
12 Control	2022*	22	45	4	3	22	28	0	0
13 Medical technology	2011	83	533	4	94	79	92	0	0
13 Medical technology	2012	95	579	6	87	89	108	0	0
13 Medical technology	2013	91	561	9	52	69	71	0	0
13 Medical technology	2014	100	647	5	37	81	98	0	0
13 Medical technology	2015	115	680	10	26	100	105	0	0
13 Medical technology	2016	108	639	9	23	95	98	1	1
13 Medical technology	2017	123	752	11	20	93	113	0	0
13 Medical technology	2018	120	746	9	30	107	139	2	2
13 Medical technology	2019	124	695	13	24	101	126	1	1
13 Medical technology	2020	110	652	9	23	125	155	3	3
13 Medical technology	2021**	113	735	10	35	103	135	3	3
13 Medical technology	2022*	56	508	4	6	62	75	2	2
III Chemistry	2011	316	1,326	34	273	200	256	0	0
III Chemistry	2012	288	1,299	34	245	218	256	1	1
III Chemistry	2013	283	1,254	34	234	205	227	1	1
III Chemistry	2014	296	1,301	37	208	205	231	5	3
III Chemistry	2015	329	1,511	40	227	211	262	2	1
III Chemistry	2016	307	1,366	34	255	217	256	1	1
III Chemistry	2017	300	1,164	24	196	223	276	2	1
III Chemistry	2018	312	1,248	41	207	209	269	2	3
III Chemistry	2019	351	1,281	44	167	245	316	7	5
III Chemistry	2020	360	1,313	41	248	240	299	5	6
III Chemistry	2021**	346	1,271	37	271	239	311	5	5
III Chemistry	2022*	187	530	28	70	187	294	2	4
14 Organic fine chemistry	2011	46	244	11	82	12	12	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2012	45	229	7	66	11	7	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2013	42	231	8	78	9	11	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2014	43	230	10	59	3	5	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2015	39	279	9	79	9	8	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2016	38	271	6	98	5	5	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2017	39	257	9	96	11	12	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2018	52	259	13	89	8	9	1	1
14 Organic fine chemistry	2019	45	230	5	71	12	14	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2020	35	220	7	106	2	2	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2021**	34	206	7	94	10	11	0	0
14 Organic fine chemistry	2022*	29	84	6	23	5	8	2	3
15 Biotechnology	2011	82	164	12	15	13	12	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2012	76	159	13	13	14	13	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2013	75	165	10	13	22	27	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2014	68	169	9	13	14	16	1	1
15 Biotechnology	2015	77	183	12	17	21	25	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2016	66	157	10	13	12	16	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2017	69	156	7	13	19	20	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2018	75	169	18	30	17	23	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2019	76	167	17	17	22	33	5	3
15 Biotechnology	2020	86	201	16	21	23	31	3	3
15 Biotechnology	2021**	93	192	10	18	29	40	0	0
15 Biotechnology	2022*	39	68	6	5	21	39	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2011	71	161	11	29	15	11	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2012	66	147	8	12	19	19	1	1
16 Pharmaceuticals	2013	71	178	14	21	9	8	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2014	69	141	12	19	14	10	3	1
16 Pharmaceuticals	2015	81	168	16	30	15	13	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2016	65	148	13	31	11	11	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2017	81	197	11	29	27	46	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2018	95	206	19	32	14	23	2	3
16 Pharmaceuticals	2019	81	202	13	21	32	35	2	2
16 Pharmaceuticals	2020	96	211	15	30	32	42	0	0
16 Pharmaceuticals	2021**	79	188	10	21	21	26	1	1
16 Pharmaceuticals	2022*	40	76	9	13	22	35	1	3
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2011	49	204	5	12	6	8	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2012	35	207	5	12	21	18	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2013	41	242	7	33	12	9	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2014	33	235	4	6	7	10	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2015	33	265	5	7	9	13	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2016	47	253	3	12	13	18	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2017	36	159	1	2	16	16	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2018	41	203	5	11	15	17	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2019	43	189	3	4	5	5	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2020	47	181	7	9	8	13	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2021**	34	157	5	6	14	18	0	0
17 Macromolecular chemistry, polymers	2022*	34	91	6	6	14	15	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2011	46	170	6	40	34	39	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2012	45	220	4	51	25	30	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2013	43	191	6	35	22	23	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2014	43	149	7	35	17	20	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2015	62	202	6	49	28	38	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2016	50	163	5	45	27	30	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2017	53	164	4	21	40	50	2	1
18 Food chemistry	2018	48	196	6	29	27	35	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2019	55	183	5	9	43	46	1	1
18 Food chemistry	2020	54	165	7	12	41	52	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2021**	72	190	8	14	40	45	0	0
18 Food chemistry	2022*	29	55	4	3	32	50	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2011	65	333	15	102	25	27	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2012	56	315	8	69	25	24	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2013	58	292	9	68	21	22	1	1
19 Basic materials chemistry	2014	55	332	9	79	21	19	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2015	78	346	12	81	29	37	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2016	56	279	11	81	28	30	1	1
19 Basic materials chemistry	2017	66	231	8	67	35	36	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2018	63	238	13	80	28	32	0	0
19 Basic materials chemistry	2019	87	242	10	56	41	53	2	2
19 Basic materials chemistry	2020	64	304	13	100	25	25	2	3
19 Basic materials chemistry	2021**	79	348	10	141	49	49	1	1
19 Basic materials chemistry	2022*	40	109	8	26	22	38	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2011	29	81	3	9	14	18	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2012	30	70	5	11	23	19	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2013	23	53	4	8	9	13	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2014	25	55	3	10	14	16	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2015	30	67	5	5	12	13	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2016	35	76	4	14	12	16	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2017	30	55	2	2	21	21	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2018	32	69	1	1	24	27	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2019	41	80	2	2	21	25	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2020	40	76	5	8	15	18	0	0
20 Materials, metallurgy	2021**	52	74	6	9	24	26	1	1
20 Materials, metallurgy	2022*	21	32	3	3	18	23	1	1
21 Surface technology, coating	2011	32	74	4	7	16	16	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2012	34	87	8	11	18	19	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2013	32	60	5	8	23	25	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2014	45	89	6	8	38	39	1	1
21 Surface technology, coating	2015	53	98	8	10	31	35	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2016	47	108	4	5	29	35	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2017	31	65	2	3	20	25	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2018	42	88	5	5	21	30	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2019	45	93	5	5	34	39	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2020	56	87	3	4	31	37	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2021**	42	82	3	7	29	34	0	0
21 Surface technology, coating	2022*	26	43	0	0	27	35	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2011	14	14	1	1	6	4	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2012	7	19	3	3	7	4	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2013	8	8	1	1	3	3	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2014	8	8	0	0	3	2	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2015	6	10	1	2	1	1	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2016	12	18	0	0	2	3	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2017	9	7	2	1	6	7	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2018	7	10	0	0	2	2	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2019	9	11	1	1	6	4	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2020	8	9	1	1	1	1	0	0
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2021**	8	15	1	1	2	3	1	1
22 Micro-structure and nano-technology	2022*	5	6	0	0	4	5	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2011	87	218	9	23	66	78	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2012	84	199	4	10	73	92	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2013	73	166	6	15	83	88	1	1
23 Chemical engineering	2014	83	207	10	18	67	71	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2015	95	241	9	15	69	76	2	1
23 Chemical engineering	2016	80	223	5	18	84	86	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2017	71	152	5	5	48	48	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2018	83	160	5	5	74	80	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2019	93	200	5	17	67	77	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2020	88	179	10	17	72	84	0	0
23 Chemical engineering	2021**	90	153	14	21	68	83	3	3
23 Chemical engineering	2022*	44	72	5	8	49	66	1	1
24 Environmental technology	2011	46	133	5	36	72	80	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2012	51	118	5	38	54	59	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2013	53	124	5	19	65	58	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2014	44	94	4	9	62	66	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2015	55	137	3	10	57	66	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2016	41	99	7	13	53	52	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2017	55	85	2	3	63	57	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2018	47	87	5	6	55	65	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2019	63	90	4	5	63	68	0	0
24 Environmental technology	2020	62	85	4	4	57	62	1	1
24 Environmental technology	2021**	46	70	7	9	52	59	1	1
24 Environmental technology	2022*	28	52	3	4	45	52	0	0
IV Mechanical engineering	2011	395	806	16	57	612	784	0	0
IV Mechanical engineering	2012	403	852	21	48	556	699	1	1
IV Mechanical engineering	2013	425	908	25	57	562	716	0	0
IV Mechanical engineering	2014	422	975	21	45	609	806	8	10
IV Mechanical engineering	2015	445	1,075	23	51	547	768	6	6
IV Mechanical engineering	2016	432	930	25	50	523	693	5	5
IV Mechanical engineering	2017	396	927	13	39	540	750	6	5
IV Mechanical engineering	2018	401	863	29	36	544	726	6	4
IV Mechanical engineering	2019	436	978	27	44	522	787	7	8
IV Mechanical engineering	2020	442	941	28	59	538	749	4	4
IV Mechanical engineering	2021**	444	950	24	62	532	775	5	5
IV Mechanical engineering	2022*	288	584	23	26	482	697	7	6
25 Handling	2011	119	167	4	21	169	183	0	0
25 Handling	2012	90	147	5	14	122	157	1	1
25 Handling	2013	112	167	5	10	140	154	0	0
25 Handling	2014	105	201	4	10	136	180	3	3
25 Handling	2015	138	225	8	21	139	184	3	2
25 Handling	2016	97	167	5	20	119	155	1	1
25 Handling	2017	114	189	4	16	152	195	1	1
25 Handling	2018	109	166	6	9	120	157	0	0
25 Handling	2019	120	177	9	16	114	164	1	1
25 Handling	2020	119	188	7	15	138	175	1	1
25 Handling	2021**	101	181	9	29	119	167	2	2
25 Handling	2022*	83	111	3	2	115	165	1	1
26 Machine tools	2011	43	56	4	6	51	55	0	0
26 Machine tools	2012	35	59	2	2	35	35	0	0
26 Machine tools	2013	32	61	4	4	39	37	0	0
26 Machine tools	2014	38	77	3	3	50	50	2	2
26 Machine tools	2015	38	59	2	2	49	49	1	1
26 Machine tools	2016	28	59	1	1	24	26	1	1
26 Machine tools	2017	29	69	2	2	40	40	1	1
26 Machine tools	2018	27	68	1	1	37	37	0	0
26 Machine tools	2019	33	84	2	2	38	51	0	0
26 Machine tools	2020	37	62	3	3	38	39	0	0
26 Machine tools	2021**	41	77	2	2	35	35	0	0
26 Machine tools	2022*	19	44	2	1	32	40	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2011	34	58	2	7	42	43	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2012	47	69	4	8	34	37	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2013	41	73	3	9	31	35	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2014	40	62	3	3	43	42	1	1
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2015	44	78	1	3	36	40	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2016	40	63	4	4	35	41	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2017	45	66	1	2	48	64	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2018	28	52	3	5	36	50	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2019	33	56	1	1	39	39	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2020	33	51	2	8	42	54	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2021**	41	73	2	5	38	60	0	0
27 Engines, pumps, turbines	2022*	28	38	3	3	41	54	2	2
28 Textile and paper machines	2011	30	78	8	9	22	18	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2012	31	90	4	6	13	19	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2013	33	85	1	1	17	18	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2014	25	89	3	3	12	14	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2015	37	127	1	4	16	19	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2016	34	102	3	4	18	19	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2017	37	106	3	6	27	32	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2018	36	82	6	8	21	25	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2019	31	65	3	5	26	40	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2020	29	50	0	0	17	21	0	0
28 Textile and paper machines	2021**	32	48	1	7	22	29	1	1
28 Textile and paper machines	2022*	15	39	1	1	12	13	0	0
29 Other special machines	2011	127	262	6	14	182	244	0	0
29 Other special machines	2012	122	262	8	10	166	214	0	0
29 Other special machines	2013	145	279	7	15	183	237	0	0
29 Other special machines	2014	145	308	8	16	203	289	4	4
29 Other special machines	2015	134	366	7	14	155	254	3	2
29 Other special machines	2016	147	316	7	11	190	257	4	4
29 Other special machines	2017	130	309	5	7	156	210	3	2
29 Other special machines	2018	143	298	6	6	168	239	0	0
29 Other special machines	2019	161	347	9	9	169	260	3	3
29 Other special machines	2020	161	317	13	23	185	254	2	2
29 Other special machines	2021**	165	314	6	10	193	281	2	2
29 Other special machines	2022*	99	161	9	12	174	248	2	2
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2011	54	74	1	1	63	74	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2012	51	69	3	4	60	60	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2013	51	76	6	7	61	78	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2014	51	82	3	3	67	70	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2015	36	72	3	4	60	59	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2016	37	69	3	3	33	37	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2017	38	62	0	0	56	58	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2018	44	61	6	3	65	65	4	2
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2019	55	77	3	4	66	83	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2020	51	81	3	3	60	63	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2021**	53	98	7	7	58	66	0	0
30 Thermal processes and apparatus	2022*	30	91	1	1	60	72	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2011	63	92	2	2	66	88	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2012	70	100	4	7	61	74	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2013	81	134	7	11	70	84	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2014	85	122	5	5	90	105	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2015	62	114	4	6	71	94	1	1
31 Mechanical elements	2016	56	92	2	3	53	69	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2017	53	89	2	4	59	83	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2018	61	84	5	6	73	80	2	2
31 Mechanical elements	2019	62	100	5	7	71	78	3	4
31 Mechanical elements	2020	74	98	9	12	57	62	1	1
31 Mechanical elements	2021**	69	92	3	4	64	80	0	0
31 Mechanical elements	2022*	44	55	5	5	52	61	1	1
32 Transport	2011	84	124	3	5	144	180	0	0
32 Transport	2012	97	166	5	6	145	161	0	0
32 Transport	2013	89	158	5	6	130	157	0	0
32 Transport	2014	91	171	5	7	132	160	1	1
32 Transport	2015	103	181	4	6	132	163	0	0
32 Transport	2016	114	168	7	8	144	168	1	1
32 Transport	2017	95	160	3	4	122	163	1	1
32 Transport	2018	85	147	5	5	129	159	1	1
32 Transport	2019	101	194	7	8	105	156	2	2
32 Transport	2020	106	232	9	12	115	177	1	1
32 Transport	2021**	93	192	4	4	114	169	1	1
32 Transport	2022*	63	106	7	6	101	149	3	2
V Other fields	2011	214	481	10	105	431	489	0	0
V Other fields	2012	195	472	9	108	362	422	0	0
V Other fields	2013	204	486	9	122	339	374	1	1
V Other fields	2014	220	543	11	101	394	473	3	3
V Other fields	2015	215	541	14	94	346	400	1	1
V Other fields	2016	218	508	9	95	352	431	2	2
V Other fields	2017	201	418	8	59	322	384	6	6
V Other fields	2018	198	402	9	36	325	376	1	1
V Other fields	2019	186	437	5	79	329	389	1	2
V Other fields	2020	203	456	4	97	315	360	3	3
V Other fields	2021**	198	440	11	107	311	360	4	2
V Other fields	2022*	110	244	5	38	227	259	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2011	65	124	3	4	123	135	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2012	47	104	1	7	101	101	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2013	54	119	4	7	93	84	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2014	51	129	2	7	124	128	1	1
33 Furniture, games	2015	55	100	5	6	107	112	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2016	61	131	4	11	105	123	1	1
33 Furniture, games	2017	53	105	6	7	87	94	3	4
33 Furniture, games	2018	67	136	3	4	106	111	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2019	54	124	1	2	91	98	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2020	66	130	2	4	94	105	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2021**	51	103	3	2	83	93	0	0
33 Furniture, games	2022*	29	68	2	2	46	48	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2011	51	79	5	6	93	91	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2012	39	81	2	6	63	65	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2013	45	96	2	3	60	55	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2014	48	121	3	7	66	68	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2015	44	169	5	14	57	58	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2016	53	147	2	17	70	79	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2017	53	133	4	12	75	74	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2018	40	110	3	5	61	64	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2019	50	125	3	9	64	59	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2020	46	106	1	6	80	80	1	1
34 Other consumer goods	2021**	42	91	4	9	60	61	0	0
34 Other consumer goods	2022*	24	63	1	2	33	32	0	0
35 Civil engineering	2011	115	291	5	96	236	278	0	0
35 Civil engineering	2012	128	303	8	98	219	272	0	0
35 Civil engineering	2013	121	284	5	112	203	247	1	1
35 Civil engineering	2014	135	303	8	90	233	297	2	2
35 Civil engineering	2015	136	282	6	76	197	243	1	1
35 Civil engineering	2016	122	253	4	68	194	241	1	1
35 Civil engineering	2017	120	204	3	44	178	226	3	2
35 Civil engineering	2018	107	170	4	28	172	207	1	1
35 Civil engineering	2019	103	210	3	69	191	245	1	2
35 Civil engineering	2020	116	244	2	89	168	198	2	2
35 Civil engineering	2021**	127	269	6	97	181	217	4	2
35 Civil engineering	2022*	69	121	3	35	157	187	0	0
Source: CBS.

Explanation of symbols

Table explanation

This table gives an overview of the number of patent applicants and patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). Patents can be granted to enterprises, universities, institutions, private persons or other entities as long as the invention which they cover fulfils certain criteria. To obtain a patent the invention must be novel, contain an inventive step and be industrially applicable. This is assessed by a patent office like the EPO or OCNL. The patent office will grant or reject the application.

The data are broken down by the technology field the invention relates to, according to the WIPO technology concordance table. This does not necessarily have to be the same area in which the applicant is economically active (SIC).

If a patent application relates to multiple technology fields, it is counted in full for each separate technology field. Due to this method the total number of patents for the subcategories are usually higher than the overarching category to which they belong. For example, a patent application relating to subcategories ‘1 Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy’ and ‘2 Audio-visual technology’ counts separately for both, but is only counted once under the overarching category ‘I Electrical engineering. This method of counting provides insight into how many patent applications can actually be attributed to the individual technology fields and which technology fields occur more frequently within the overarching categories.

Data available from: 2011

Status of the figures:
The figures from 2011 to 2020 are final. The figures for 2021 are revised provisional. The figures for 2022 are provisional.

Changes as of December 8, 2025:
None, this is a new table.

When will new figures be published?
Beginning of 2026 the figures for 2021 and 2022 will be updated. Mid 2026 the figures for 2021 and 2022 will be updated and new figures for 2023 will be added.

Description topics

EPO-Patent

A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However, the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.

applicants: Enterprises who applied for a patent at the European Patent Office (EPO)in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.

applications: Patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) is valid in all member countries of the EPO. However the EPO patent must be validated at the national patent office in order to be effective in member countries.

Applicants with foreign cooperation: Enterprises who applied for a patent at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for any of its applications.

Applications with foreign cooperation: Patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO) in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for this specific application.

OCNL-Patent

A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.

Patent applicants: Enterprises who applied for a patent at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.

Patent applications: Patent applications at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed.
A patent that is granted by NL Patent Office (OCNL), a division of Agency NL, is only valid in the Netherlands.

Applicants with foreign cooperation: Enterprises who applied for a patent at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for any of its applications.

Applications with foreign cooperation: Patent applications at the Netherlands Patent Office (OCNL), a department of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), in the period observed, where the Dutch applicant has cooperated with a foreign entity for this specific application.