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Ranked: Countries With the Most AI Patents
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Key Takeaways
- China dominates the ranking for countries with the most AI patents, at 25,177.
- The U.S. follows, at 17,307, but AI patents represent a higher share of its overall patent mix than in China.
- Mexico, surprisingly, ranks among the top 10 and beat more typical IP hubs.
Which countries are leading in artificial intelligence innovation?
This chart ranks the top countries by AI patents in 2024, based on data from the World Intellectual Property Organization.
China Leads With The Most AI Patents
China currently has the most AI patents at 25,177, showing dominance in overall volume.
Despite the U.S. trailing in AI patents with 17,307, its share of overall patents is higher than China’s—highlighting AI as a larger share of U.S. innovation.
| Rank | Country | AI Patents | Total Patents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 25,177 | 5,688,867 |
| 2 | United States | 17,307 | 3,519,879 |
| 3 | South Korea | 5,635 | 1,312,294 |
| 4 | Japan | 4,811 | 2,085,215 |
| 5 | Germany | 436 | 963,941 |
| 6 | Australia | 298 | 163,069 |
| 7 | France | 142 | 757,026 |
| 8 | India | 138 | 228,402 |
| 9 | United Kingdom | 119 | 744,130 |
| 10 | Mexico | 57 | 111,190 |
| 11 | Brazil | 37 | 106,827 |
| 12 | Malaysia | 30 | 38,168 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 29 | 163,418 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 22 | 246,254 |
| 15 | Sweden | 21 | 152,158 |
| 16 | Hungary | 14 | 35,950 |
| 17 | Philippines | 13 | 15,463 |
| 18 | Colombia | 12 | 9,009 |
| 19 | New Zealand | 11 | 23,867 |
| 19 | Serbia | 11 | 9,368 |
| 21 | Poland | 7 | 111,782 |
| 21 | Spain | 7 | 217,849 |
| 23 | Argentina | 6 | 13,053 |
| 24 | Finland | 5 | 96,416 |
| 24 | Peru | 5 | 4,539 |
| 26 | Greece | 4 | 27,510 |
| 26 | Norway | 4 | 55,349 |
| 28 | Austria | 3 | 134,163 |
| 28 | Belgium | 3 | 187,149 |
| 28 | Chile | 3 | 21,079 |
| 28 | Morocco | 3 | 4,917 |
| 28 | Romania | 3 | 27,474 |
| 28 | Slovakia | 3 | 21,189 |
| 34 | Denmark | 2 | 109,551 |
| 34 | Slovenia | 2 | 18,517 |
| 36 | Bulgaria | 1 | 13,311 |
| 36 | Costa Rica | 1 | 1,462 |
| 36 | Ecuador | 1 | 215 |
| 36 | Latvia | 1 | 10,493 |
| 36 | Portugal | 1 | 81,509 |
| 36 | Moldova | 1 | 255 |
| 36 | Switzerland | 1 | 268,054 |
South Korea sits in third place for the most AI patents, at 5,635—accounting for 0.43% of overall patents in the country.
Europe and the UK, despite being known for top universities and research and development labs, trail behind. Germany and France are the only European countries to make the top 10, with 436 and 142 patents respectively. The UK has just 119 AI patents, accounting for 0.02% of overall patents.
Interestingly, Mexico nabs 10th place for most AI patents, at 57, beating more general IP hotspots such as the Netherlands, Spain, and Luxembourg.
Concentration Could Affect Competitiveness
The data shows that AI innovation is highly concentrated. Indeed, Chinese companies Tencent, Ping An Insurance Group, Baidu and the Chinese Academy of Sciences had the most patents for generative AI as of 2019. IBM follows in the ranking.
This concentration could be a challenge as countries attempt to shore up sovereign AI capabilities, meaning home-grown innovation and domestic data centers, while also staying competitive.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about AI, check out this graphic which ranks how AI competitiveness across countries.