Sri Lanka: Patent applications, residents

Key figures

Over five years it is down 28.93% from 356 in 2019 (6.6% a year on average, compounded). Since 1980 it is up 2,200% from 11 in 1980 (7.39% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 2 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sri Lanka's patent applications, residents rose 36.8% on 2023 (from 185 to 253).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2023), the average change was +12.1% and a typical year strayed about 39.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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 120.4% in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 45.5% in 1981. 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 9% 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, Sri Lanka had the 58th 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 Sri Lanka in the 2024 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 55th of 113: 278
• Colombia — 56th of 113: 270
• Belarus — 57th of 113: 256
• Tunisia — 59th of 113: 225
• Peru — 60th of 113: 214
• Azerbaijan — 61st of 113: 194

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 43 values

Patent applications, residents in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 87 (2024)
• India — 63,217 (2024)
• Nepal — 20 (2017)

More infrastructure data for Sri Lanka

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.58 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 6.85 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 24,228 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 278.5 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 3.87 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 30.62 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 132.55 (2024)
• Industrial design applications, nonresident, by count — 42 (2024)
• Industrial design applications, resident, by count — 171 (2024)

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 Sri Lanka's patent applications, residents?

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

How has it changed since 1980?

It is up 2,200% from 11 in 1980 (7.39% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 356 in 2019 and the lowest 6 in 1981.

How does Sri Lanka rank?

58th highest of 113 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Sri Lanka's patent applications, residents rose 36.8% on 2023 (from 185 to 253). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2023), the average change was +12.1% and a typical year strayed about 39.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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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