China vs Germany: Patents … collaboration in technology development Co-inventions
Patents … collaboration in technology development Co-inventions over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 78,912 Co-inventions against 31,514 Co-inventions in Germany, a difference of 47,398 Co-inventions.
That makes China's figure about 2.5 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 112 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4,242 Co-inventions | 17,585 Co-inventions | 13,343 Co-inventions | Germany |
| 2000s | 27,407 Co-inventions | 28,804 Co-inventions | 1,397 Co-inventions | Germany |
| 2010s | 37,464 Co-inventions | 32,924 Co-inventions | 4,540 Co-inventions | China |
| 2020s | 81,564 Co-inventions | 32,292 Co-inventions | 49,272 Co-inventions | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher patents - international collaboration in technology development, China or Germany?
- China, at 78,912 Co-inventions against 31,514 Co-inventions in Germany as of 2023.
- What is the difference in patents - international collaboration in technology development between China and Germany?
- 47,398 Co-inventions, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for patents - international collaboration in technology development?
- China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 112 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Patents - international collaboration in technology development — Co-inventions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Patent statistics and indicators are suitable for tracking innovation in environment-related technologies. They allow the assessment of countries' innovation performance as well as the design of governments' environmental and innovation policies. This dataset presents data on shares of co-inventions and on shares of inventors’ collaborations across the OECD area and elsewhere, in environment-related technologies, using inventors’ country of residence. For more information on the methodology, click the link below on "Database documentation" Data source(s): OECD, STI Micro-data Lab: Intellectual Property Database, http://oe.cd/ipstats Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: April 16, 2026 Database documentation