Cuba: Patent applications, residents

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Cuba's patent applications, residents fell 29.4% on 2023 (from 17 to 12).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2023), the average change was +566.6% and a typical year strayed about 2,619.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 12,000% in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 38.7% in 2012. 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 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.34 a year. A straight line explains 77% of the movement over 8 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 2024, Cuba had the 95th highest value of the 113 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.

Closest to Cuba in the 2024 ranking

• Jordan — 92nd of 113: 14
• Armenia — 93rd of 113: 13
• Uruguay — 94th of 113: 13
• San Marino — 96th of 113: 12
• Dominican Republic — 97th of 113: 11
• Panama — 98th of 113: 11

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 29 values

Patent applications, residents in nearby economies

• Argentina — 445 (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 4 (2017)
• Bolivia — 10 (2022)
• Brazil — 5,752 (2024)
• Chile — 390 (2024)
• Colombia — 270 (2024)
• Costa Rica — 15 (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 11 (2024)
• Ecuador — 53 (2024)
• El Salvador — 6 (2024)
• Guatemala — 8 (2024)

More infrastructure data for Cuba

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.59 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 14.49 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 1,694 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 5.16 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 136,998 (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 8.01 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 72.93 (2024)
• Industrial design applications, resident, by count — 19 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 3.78% (2024)
• Industrial design applications, nonresident, by count

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Cuba's patent applications, residents?

12 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is down 90.7% from 129 in 1980 (5.25% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 214 in 1984 and the lowest 1 in 1992.

How does Cuba rank?

95th highest of 113 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Cuba's patent applications, residents fell 29.4% on 2023 (from 17 to 12). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1981 to 2023), the average change was +566.6% and a typical year strayed about 2,619.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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