Canada's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) was US$20.2 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 88.17% from US$10.73 billion in 2015 (6.53% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$20.2 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$13.88 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$10.73 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$20.27 billion | 2024 |
| Lowest | US$595.53 million | 1981 |
| Average since 2016 | US$15.83 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$595.53 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Canada's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell 0.4% on 2024 (from US$20.27 billion to US$20.2 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.8% and a typical year strayed about 8.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 32.9% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.4% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$1.14 billion a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Canada had the 12th highest value of the 117 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | US$20.2 billion | 2025 |
| World | US$753.95 billion | 2025 |
| North America | US$81.61 billion | 2025 |
| High income | US$636.42 billion | 2025 |
Closest to Canada in the 2025 ranking
- United Kingdom — 8th of 117: US$30.14 billion
- Sweden — 9th of 117: US$23.31 billion
- Singapore — 10th of 117: US$20.69 billion
- India — 12th of 117: US$18.76 billion
- Luxembourg — 13th of 117: US$18.23 billion
- France — 14th of 117: US$17.67 billion
What this measures
Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 45 values
| Year | Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 20,195,169,602 |
| 2024 | 20,266,846,290 |
| 2023 | 20,071,645,525 |
| 2022 | 17,349,946,740 |
| 2021 | 16,848,519,080 |
| 2020 | 13,878,959,172 |
| 2019 | 13,588,255,249 |
| 2018 | 12,724,585,776 |
| 2017 | 11,833,542,181 |
| 2016 | 11,567,469,044 |
Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies
- Bermuda — US$4 million (2025)
- United States — US$61.41 billion (2025)
More economic policy & debt data for Canada
- Trade in services (% of GDP) — 14.75% (2025)
- Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) — 48.08% (2025)
- Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) — US$196.83 billion (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) — US$747.73 billion (2025)
- Goods imports (current US$, BoP) — US$577.62 billion (2025)
- Service imports (current US$, BoP) — US$170.11 billion (2025)
- Imports of goods, services and primary income (current US$, BoP) — US$944.56 billion (2025)
- Transport services (% of service imports, BoP) — 16.84% (2025)
- Travel services (% of service imports, BoP) — 25.55% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Canada's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?
- US$20.2 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1981?
- It is up 3,291% from US$595.53 million in 1981 (8.34% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$20.27 billion in 2024 and the lowest US$595.53 million in 1981.
- How does Canada rank?
- 12th highest of 117 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Canada?
- In 2025, Canada's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) fell 0.4% on 2024 (from US$20.27 billion to US$20.2 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.8% and a typical year strayed about 8.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.ROYL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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