South Africa: Trademark applications, resident, by count

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, South Africa's trademark applications, resident, by count rose 11.4% on 2023 (from 22,471 to 25,039).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was +2.5% and a typical year strayed about 8.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above 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 17.9% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.7% in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 26% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, South Africa had the 36th highest value of the 112 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 South Africa in the 2024 ranking

• Morocco — 33rd of 112: 27,746
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 34th of 112: 26,623
• Romania — 35th of 112: 26,334
• Malaysia — 37th of 112: 21,467
• New Zealand — 38th of 112: 20,197
• Uzbekistan — 39th of 112: 19,789

What this measures

Trademark applications filed are applications to register a trademark with a national or regional Intellectual Property (IP) offices and designations received by relevant offices through the Madrid System. A trademark is a distinctive sign which identifies certain goods or services as those produced or provided by a specific person or enterprise. A trademark provides protection to the owner of the mark by ensuring the exclusive right to use it to identify goods or services, or to authorize another to use it in return for payment. The period of protection varies, but a trademark can be renewed indefinitely beyond the time limit on payment of additional fees. Resident application refers to an application filed with the IP office of or acting on behalf of the state or jurisdiction in which the first-named applicant in the application has residence. Class count is used to render application data for trademark applications across offices comparable, as some offices follow a single-class/single-design filing system while other have a multiple class/design filing system.

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 21 values

Trademark applications, resident, by count in nearby economies

• Botswana — 3,506 (2024)
• Ethiopia — 2,818 (2024)
• Gambia, The — 213 (2024)
• Madagascar — 3,739 (2024)
• Malawi — 338 (2023)
• Mauritius — 1,992 (2024)
• Mozambique — 1,473 (2024)
• Namibia — 291 (2024)
• Rwanda — 1,640 (2024)
• São Tomé and Principe — 17 (2024)

More infrastructure data for South Africa

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.01 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 1.58 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 169,154 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 59.67 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 15.45 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 114.79 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 179.34 (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 8,549 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 350 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$)

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 South Africa's trademark applications, resident, by count?

25,039 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2004?

It is up 67.13% from 14,982 in 2004 (2.6% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 25,786 in 2021 and the lowest 14,982 in 2004.

How does South Africa rank?

36th highest of 112 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in trademark applications, resident, by count unusual for South Africa?

In 2024, South Africa's trademark applications, resident, by count rose 11.4% on 2023 (from 22,471 to 25,039). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was +2.5% and a typical year strayed about 8.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above 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 IP.TMK.RSCT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Statistics Database, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), uri: www.wipo.int/ipstats/, 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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