Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea
South Korea: Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies was 124 patents in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea, 2000–2025
Source: IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in patents.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 124 patents for annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 74.1% on the previous year and down 95.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea peaked at 4,289 patents in 2011 and was at its lowest, 124 patents, in 2025.
That places South Korea 3rd out of 64 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 187 patents | — |
| 2001 | 225 patents | +20.3% |
| 2002 | 187 patents | -16.9% |
| 2003 | 272 patents | +45.5% |
| 2004 | 431 patents | +58.5% |
| 2005 | 586 patents | +36.0% |
| 2006 | 795 patents | +35.7% |
| 2007 | 1,284 patents | +61.5% |
| 2008 | 2,369 patents | +84.5% |
| 2009 | 3,444 patents | +45.4% |
| 2010 | 3,822 patents | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 4,289 patents | +12.2% |
| 2012 | 3,620 patents | -15.6% |
| 2013 | 3,408 patents | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 3,099 patents | -9.1% |
| 2015 | 2,698 patents | -12.9% |
| 2016 | 3,224 patents | +19.5% |
| 2017 | 3,065 patents | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 3,380 patents | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 3,172 patents | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 2,923 patents | -7.8% |
| 2021 | 2,453 patents | -16.1% |
| 2022 | 1,768 patents | -27.9% |
| 2023 | 1,405 patents | -20.5% |
| 2024 | 478 patents | -66.0% |
| 2025 | 124 patents | -74.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 124 patents is above the median for high income countries, which is 3 patents, 41.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 124 patents is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10 patents, 12.4× the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 978 patents | 187 patents | 3,444 patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,378 patents | 2,698 patents | 4,289 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,525 patents | 124 patents | 2,923 patents | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More energy & mining data for South Korea
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 25.7% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 6.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea?
- Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies in South Korea was 124 patents in 2025, according to IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4,289 patents in 2011.
- What is the lowest annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 124 patents in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies?
- South Korea ranks 3rd out of 64 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 95.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA – INSPIRE Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual patents filed for renewable energy technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data only includes energy source technologies, and excludes technologies such as energy storage or transport. Figures in recent years are subject to a time lag; submitted patents may not yet be reflected in the data.