Namibia: Patent applications, residents

Key figures

Over five years it is down 87.5% from 8 in 2019 (34.02% a year on average, compounded). Since 1990 it is down 80% from 5 in 1990 (4.62% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 24 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.62 a year. A straight line explains 61% 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, Namibia had the 112th 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 Namibia in the 2024 ranking

• Trinidad and Tobago — 110th of 113: 3
• Monaco — 111th of 113: 2
• Brunei Darussalam — 112th of 113: 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 11 values

Patent applications, residents in nearby economies

• Botswana — 10 (2023)
• Ethiopia — 66 (2024)
• Kenya — 396 (2024)
• Madagascar — 3 (2024)
• Malawi — 3 (2016)
• Mauritius — 7 (2024)
• Mozambique — 10 (2024)
• Nigeria — 410 (2020)
• Rwanda — 8 (2024)
• South Africa — 350 (2024)
• Sudan — 153 (2020)
• Uganda

More infrastructure data for Namibia

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 77,390 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 2.55 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 2.58 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 85.16 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$26.03 million (2024)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 2.02% (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 0.42% (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 2,960 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 60,304 (2023)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population)

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 Namibia's patent applications, residents?

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

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 80% from 5 in 1990 (4.62% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 21 in 2018 and the lowest 1 in 2024.

How does Namibia rank?

112th highest of 113 economies with data for 2024.

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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