United States's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) was US$61.41 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 74.56% from US$35.18 billion in 2015 (5.73% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$61.41 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | US$45.48 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | US$35.18 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$61.41 billion | 2025 |
| Lowest | US$220 million | 1970 |
| Average since 2016 | US$50.01 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$220 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, United States' charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) rose 6.2% on 2024 (from US$57.81 billion to US$61.41 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.3% and a typical year strayed about 9.3% 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 40.1% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.1% in 1980. 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$2.29 billion a year. A straight line explains 84% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about US$66.98 billion for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$1.69 billion, against US$2.74 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2025, United States had the 2nd 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| United States | US$61.41 billion | 2025 |
| World | US$753.95 billion | 2025 |
| North America | US$81.61 billion | 2025 |
| High income | US$636.42 billion | 2025 |
Closest to United States in the 2025 ranking
- Ireland — 1st of 117: US$209.48 billion
- China — 3rd of 117: US$46.63 billion
- Netherlands — 4th of 117: US$43.47 billion
- Switzerland — 5th of 117: US$38.94 billion
What this measures
Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 56 values
| Year | Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 61,408,000,000 |
| 2024 | 57,806,000,000 |
| 2023 | 54,795,000,000 |
| 2022 | 59,417,000,000 |
| 2021 | 48,199,000,000 |
| 2020 | 45,483,000,000 |
| 2019 | 43,280,000,000 |
| 2018 | 43,291,000,000 |
| 2017 | 44,406,000,000 |
| 2016 | 41,974,000,000 |
Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies
More economic policy & debt data for United States
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$1.39 trillion (2025)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$243.27 billion (2025)
- GDP (current US$) — US$30.77 trillion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 30.77 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$23.22 trillion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 25.15 trillion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$90,027 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 90,027 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$67,946 (2025)
- GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 73,574 (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is United States's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?
- US$61.41 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
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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