China vs United States of America: Annual patents filed in sustainable energy
China
12,744 patents
in 2024
United States of America
1,840 patents
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States of America rank
2nd
Annual patents filed in sustainable energy over time
- China
- United States of America
How they compare
China currently reports 12,744 patents against 1,840 patents in United States of America, a difference of 10,904 patents.
That makes China's figure about 6.9 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was United States of America ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 74 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10,362 patents | 12,125 patents | 1,763 patents | United States of America |
| 2010s | 81,112 patents | 31,757 patents | 49,355 patents | China |
| 2020s | 181,135 patents | 20,807 patents | 160,328 patents | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual patents filed in sustainable energy, China or United States of America?
- China, at 12,744 patents against 1,840 patents in United States of America as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual patents filed in sustainable energy between China and United States of America?
- 10,904 patents, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and United States of America rank globally for annual patents filed in sustainable energy?
- China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 74 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- IRENA - INSPIRE Platform (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual patents filed in sustainable energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Figures in recent years are subject to a time lag; submitted patents may not yet be reflected in the data.