The use of the patent system is quite different from country to country. The following table provides the number of WIPO PCT patent filings, by country of origin, from January 2005 to November 2009, per million residents.* The source of the data on PCT filings is the February 2010 version of the WIPO Statistics Database. (WIPO notes the 2009 data are provisional and incomplete). The PCT counts are based on the international filing date and the country of residence of the first named applicant.
For the 4 year 11 month period, the annual average number of PCT filings per one million residents varied from a high of 820 in Barbados, to zero. The United States was 13th overall, with an average of 161 PCT patent filing per million residents.
The 18 countries with an annual rate of PCT filings of more than 100 (per million residents) were: Barbados, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Israel, Denmark, Japan, Germany, Iceland, United States of America, Republic of Korea, Norway, Singapore, Austria, France and Belgium.
Among the BRIC countries, the annual rates per million residents were 4 for China**, 2 for Brazil, and 1 for India.
* Based upon 2007 population estimates.
** By 2009, the rate in China was 6 per million.
| Country | PCT Filings by Residence of Applicant, 2005:1 to 2009:11 | Population in 2007 (millions) | PCT Filings per million residents | PCT Filings per million residents (annual average) |
| Barbados | 1,209 | 0.3 | 4,030 | 820 |
| Switzerland | 17,766 | 7.5 | 2,369 | 482 |
| Sweden | 17,200 | 9.2 | 1,870 | 380 |
| Finland | 9,844 | 5.3 | 1,857 | 378 |
| Luxembourg | 856 | 0.5 | 1,712 | 348 |
| Netherlands | 21,780 | 16.5 | 1,320 | 268 |
| Israel | 8,140 | 6.9 | 1,180 | 240 |
| Denmark | 6,016 | 5.4 | 1,114 | 227 |
| Japan | 135,599 | 127.4 | 1,064 | 216 |
| Germany | 84,599 | 82.3 | 1,028 | 209 |
| Iceland | 262 | 0.3 | 873 | 178 |
| United States of America | 245,107 | 308.7 | 794 | 161 |
| Republic of Korea | 32,676 | 48.0 | 681 | 138 |
| Norway | 3,013 | 4.7 | 641 | 130 |
| Singapore | 2,544 | 4.5 | 565 | 115 |
| Austria | 4,672 | 8.3 | 563 | 114 |
| France | 31,921 | 61.7 | 517 | 105 |
| Belgium | 5,265 | 10.5 | 501 | 102 |
| Ireland | 2,073 | 4.4 | 471 | 96 |
| Australia | 9,604 | 20.9 | 460 | 93 |
| Bahamas | 131 | 0.3 | 437 | 89 |
| United Kingdom | 25,901 | 60.9 | 425 | 87 |
| Seychelles | 42 | 0.1 | 420 | 85 |
| New Zealand | 1,723 | 4.2 | 410 | 83 |
| Canada | 12,954 | 32.9 | 394 | 80 |
| Slovenia | 485 | 2.0 | 243 | 49 |
| Cyprus | 218 | 0.9 | 242 | 49 |
| Malta | 90 | 0.4 | 225 | 46 |
| Italy | 13,217 | 59.3 | 223 | 45 |
| Andorra | 18 | 0.1 | 180 | 37 |
| Spain | 6,358 | 44.1 | 144 | 29 |
| Estonia | 124 | 1.3 | 95 | 19 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 8 | 0.1 | 80 | 16 |
| Hungary | 769 | 10.0 | 77 | 16 |
| Croatia | 316 | 4.4 | 72 | 15 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 7 | 0.1 | 70 | 14 |
| Czech Republic | 665 | 10.3 | 65 | 13 |
| Belize | 14 | 0.3 | 47 | 9 |
| Latvia | 95 | 2.3 | 41 | 8 |
| Portugal | 434 | 10.6 | 41 | 8 |
| South Africa | 1,930 | 49.2 | 39 | 8 |
| Greece | 426 | 11.1 | 38 | 8 |
| Slovakia | 173 | 5.4 | 32 | 7 |
| Samoa | 6 | 0.2 | 30 | 6 |
| Russian Federation | 3,460 | 141.9 | 24 | 5 |
| United Arab Emirates | 104 | 4.4 | 24 | 5 |
| Malaysia | 613 | 26.6 | 23 | 5 |
| Lithuania | 71 | 3.4 | 21 | 4 |
| Turkey | 1,499 | 73.0 | 21 | 4 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 8 | 0.4 | 20 | 4 |
| Marshall Islands | 2 | 0.1 | 20 | 4 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | 0.1 | 20 | 4 |
| Panama | 65 | 3.3 | 20 | 4 |
| Mauritius | 25 | 1.3 | 19 | 4 |
| China | 24,463 | 1329.1 | 18 | 4 |
| Bulgaria | 125 | 7.6 | 16 | 3 |
| Poland | 589 | 38.1 | 15 | 3 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 48 | 3.8 | 13 | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 255 | 24.7 | 10 | 2 |
| Brazil | 1,921 | 190.1 | 10 | 2 |
| Dominica | 1 | 0.1 | 10 | 2 |
| Grenada | 1 | 0.1 | 10 | 2 |
| Serbia | 92 | 9.8 | 9.4 | 2 |
| Uruguay | 29 | 3.3 | 8.8 | 2 |
| Ukraine | 397 | 46.3 | 8.6 | 2 |
| Armenia | 26 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 2 |
| Mexico | 873 | 107.5 | 8.1 | 2 |
| Belarus | 76 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 2 |
| Georgia | 34 | 4.4 | 7.7 | 2 |
| T F Y R of Macedonia | 14 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 1 |
| Chile | 115 | 16.6 | 6.9 | 1 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 9 | 1.3 | 6.9 | 1 |
| Jordan | 39 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 1 |
| Cuba | 73 | 11.2 | 6.5 | 1 |
| Moldova | 22 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 24 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 1 |
| Bahrain | 4 | 0.8 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Saint Lucia | 1 | 0.2 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Vanuatu | 1 | 0.2 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Romania | 100 | 21.5 | 4.7 | 1 |
| Kazakhstan | 66 | 15.4 | 4.3 | 1 |
| Mongolia | 11 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1 |
| Kuwait | 12 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 1 |
| Colombia | 181 | 44.4 | 4.1 | 1 |
| India | 4,199 | 1164.7 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Azerbaijan | 31 | 8.6 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 1 |
| Montenegro | 2 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 1 |
| Tunisia | 32 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 1 |
| Namibia | 6 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 1 |
| Argentina | 109 | 39.5 | 2.8 | 1 |
| Egypt | 204 | 80.1 | 2.5 | 1 |
| Lebanon | 10 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 |
| Morocco | 73 | 31.2 | 2.3 | 0.5 |
| Jamaica | 5 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 0.4 |
| Qatar | 2 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Sri Lanka | 36 | 19.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Oman | 4 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| Ecuador | 19 | 13.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 |
| Guatemala | 18 | 13.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 24 | 20.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Philippines | 97 | 88.7 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| Algeria | 37 | 33.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| El Salvador | 6 | 6.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| Swaziland | 1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | 5 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Thailand | 53 | 67.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 4 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Cameroon | 14 | 18.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Gabon | 1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Dominican Republic | 7 | 9.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Honduras | 5 | 7.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Venezuela | 18 | 27.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Burundi | 5 | 7.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | 14 | 23.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Sierra Leone | 3 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| Kenya | 20 | 37.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Botswana | 1 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Peru | 14 | 28.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Senegal | 5 | 11.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Sudan | 15 | 40.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Albania | 1 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Viet Nam | 27 | 86.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Congo | 1 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Benin | 2 | 8.4 | 0.2 | 0.05 |
| Ghana | 5 | 22.9 | 0.2 | 0.04 |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 15 | 72.4 | 0.2 | 0.04 |
| Turkmenistan | 1 | 5.0 | 0.2 | 0.04 |
| Indonesia | 42 | 224.7 | 0.2 | 0.04 |
| Uzbekistan | 5 | 26.9 | 0.2 | 0.04 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 12.4 | 0.2 | 0.03 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | 6.4 | 0.2 | 0.03 |
| Madagascar | 2 | 18.6 | 0.1 | 0.02 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 9.5 | 0.1 | 0.02 |
| Zambia | 1 | 12.3 | 0.1 | 0.02 |
| Niger | 1 | 14.1 | 0.1 | 0.01 |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | 14.7 | 0.1 | 0.01 |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 1 | 20.1 | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| Nigeria | 7 | 147.7 | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| Yemen | 1 | 22.3 | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| Pakistan | 7 | 173.2 | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| Iraq | 1 | 29.5 | 0.03 | 0.01 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2 | 62.5 | 0.03 | 0.01 |
| Myanmar | 1 | 49.1 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 157.8 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Ethiopia | 0 | 78.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Guinea | 0 | 9.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Haiti | 0 | 9.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Liberia | 0 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mali | 0 | 12.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 5.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Paraguay | 0 | 6.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Togo | 0 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | 0 | 41.3 | 0 | 0 |