Botswana: Patent applications, residents

Key figures

Since 2011 it is up 900% from 1 in 2011 (21.15% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 1 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Botswana's patent applications, residents fell 23.1% on 2022 (from 13 to 10).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2022), the average change was +100.2% and a typical year strayed about 171.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 400% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 66.7% in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.78 a year. A straight line explains 37% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Botswana in the 2023 ranking

• Yemen, Rep. — 1st of 4: 11
• Albania — 3rd of 4: 9
• Lao PDR — 4th of 4: 1

What this measures

Patent applications are worldwide patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty procedure or with a national patent office for exclusive rights for an invention--a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.

Limitations: Data are based on information supplied to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) by IP offices in annual surveys, supplemented by data in national IP office reports. Data may be missing for some offices or periods.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 12 values

Patent applications, residents in nearby economies

• Ethiopia — 66 (2024)
• Kenya — 396 (2024)
• Madagascar — 3 (2024)
• Malawi — 3 (2016)
• Mauritius — 7 (2024)
• Mozambique — 10 (2024)
• Namibia — 1 (2024)
• Nigeria — 410 (2020)
• Rwanda — 8 (2024)
• South Africa — 350 (2024)
• Sudan — 153 (2020)
• Uganda

More infrastructure data for Botswana

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 83,182 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 3.3 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 4.13 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 164 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 4,264 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 172,720 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 0.28 (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$16.46 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 1.56% (2025)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Botswana's patent applications, residents?

10 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 900% from 1 in 2011 (21.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 13 in 2022 and the lowest 1 in 2011.

Is the latest change in patent applications, residents unusual for Botswana?

In 2023, Botswana's patent applications, residents fell 23.1% on 2022 (from 13 to 10). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2022), the average change was +100.2% and a typical year strayed about 171.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the transformation of these data..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IP.PAT.RESD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: WIPO Patent Report: Statistics on Worldwide Patent Activity, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), note: The International Bureau of WIPO assumes no responsibility with respect to the transformation of these data. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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