Patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa

South Africa: Patents - international collaboration in technology development was 113 Co-inventions in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
113 Co-inventions
Change on year
down 12.4%
World rank
47th
of 112 countries
All-time high
162 Co-inventions
in 2013
All-time low
23 Co-inventions
in 1992
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa, 1990–2023

0501001501990200620231990: 28 Co-inventions1991: 28 Co-inventions1992: 23 Co-inventions1993: 40 Co-inventions1994: 36 Co-inventions1995: 48 Co-inventions1996: 40 Co-inventions1997: 70 Co-inventions1998: 48 Co-inventions1999: 75 Co-inventions2000: 58 Co-inventions2001: 45 Co-inventions2002: 52 Co-inventions2003: 64 Co-inventions2004: 92 Co-inventions2005: 81 Co-inventions2006: 67 Co-inventions2007: 77 Co-inventions2008: 79 Co-inventions2009: 82 Co-inventions2010: 88 Co-inventions2011: 104 Co-inventions2012: 91 Co-inventions2013: 162 Co-inventions2014: 125 Co-inventions2015: 102 Co-inventions2016: 150 Co-inventions2017: 100 Co-inventions2018: 106 Co-inventions2019: 118 Co-inventions2020: 112 Co-inventions2021: 96 Co-inventions2022: 129 Co-inventions2023: 113 Co-inventions

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Co-inventions.

Analysis

In 2023, patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa stood at 113 Co-inventions.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.4% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa peaked at 162 Co-inventions in 2013 and was at its lowest, 23 Co-inventions, in 1992.

That places South Africa 47th out of 112 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Patents - international collaboration in technology development — Co-inventions in South Africa, 1990 to 2023.
Year Co-inventions Change
1990 28 Co-inventions
1991 28 Co-inventions +0.0%
1992 23 Co-inventions -17.9%
1993 40 Co-inventions +73.9%
1994 36 Co-inventions -10.0%
1995 48 Co-inventions +33.3%
1996 40 Co-inventions -16.7%
1997 70 Co-inventions +75.0%
1998 48 Co-inventions -31.4%
1999 75 Co-inventions +56.2%
2000 58 Co-inventions -22.7%
2001 45 Co-inventions -22.4%
2002 52 Co-inventions +15.6%
2003 64 Co-inventions +23.1%
2004 92 Co-inventions +43.8%
2005 81 Co-inventions -12.0%
2006 67 Co-inventions -17.3%
2007 77 Co-inventions +14.9%
2008 79 Co-inventions +2.6%
2009 82 Co-inventions +3.8%
2010 88 Co-inventions +7.3%
2011 104 Co-inventions +18.2%
2012 91 Co-inventions -12.5%
2013 162 Co-inventions +78.0%
2014 125 Co-inventions -22.8%
2015 102 Co-inventions -18.4%
2016 150 Co-inventions +47.1%
2017 100 Co-inventions -33.3%
2018 106 Co-inventions +6.0%
2019 118 Co-inventions +11.3%
2020 112 Co-inventions -5.1%
2021 96 Co-inventions -14.3%
2022 129 Co-inventions +34.4%
2023 113 Co-inventions -12.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 43.6 Co-inventions 23 Co-inventions 75 Co-inventions 10
2000s 69.7 Co-inventions 45 Co-inventions 92 Co-inventions 10
2010s 114.6 Co-inventions 88 Co-inventions 162 Co-inventions 10
2020s 112.5 Co-inventions 96 Co-inventions 129 Co-inventions 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 44 Philippines 141 Co-inventions compare
  2. 45 Ukraine 140 Co-inventions compare
  3. 46 Peru 124 Co-inventions compare
  4. 48 Serbia 111 Co-inventions compare
  5. 48 Thailand 111 Co-inventions compare
  6. 50 New Zealand 100 Co-inventions compare

See the full ranking of 124 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa?
Patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa was 113 Co-inventions in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest patents - international collaboration in technology development recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 162 Co-inventions in 2013.
What is the lowest patents - international collaboration in technology development recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 23 Co-inventions in 1992.
How does South Africa rank for patents - international collaboration in technology development?
South Africa ranks 47th out of 112 countries with data for 2023.
Is patents - international collaboration in technology development rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Patents - international collaboration in technology development — Co-inventions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Patents - international collaboration in technology development in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/patents-international-collaboration-in-technology-development-co-inventions/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Patents - international collaboration in technology development — Co-inventions
Unit
Co-inventions
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
124 places, 2,994 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

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