This chart shows the number of AI-related patents granted each year from 2010 to 2022 (latest available).
These figures come from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, accessed via Stanford University’s 2024 AI Index Report.
China first overtook the U.S. in 2013, and since then, has seen enormous growth in the number of AI patents granted. In 2022 (the latest year for which data is available), the country was granted more patents than the rest of the world combined.
Year | China | EU and UK | US | RoW | Global Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | 307 | 137 | 984 | 571 | 1999 |
2011 | 516 | 129 | 980 | 581 | 2206 |
2012 | 926 | 112 | 950 | 660 | 2648 |
2013 | 1035 | 91 | 970 | 627 | 2723 |
2014 | 1278 | 97 | 1078 | 667 | 3120 |
2015 | 1721 | 110 | 1135 | 539 | 3505 |
2016 | 1621 | 128 | 1298 | 714 | 3761 |
2017 | 2428 | 144 | 1489 | 1075 | 5136 |
2018 | 4741 | 155 | 1674 | 1574 | 8144 |
2019 | 9530 | 322 | 3211 | 2720 | 15783 |
2020 | 13071 | 406 | 5441 | 4455 | 23373 |
2021 | 21907 | 623 | 8219 | 7519 | 38268 |
2022 | 35315 | 1173 | 12077 | 13699 | 62264 |
"Similar to the publications data, there is a noticeable delay in AI patent data availability, with 2022 being the most recent year for which data is accessible."
https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report/