Annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa
South Africa: Annual patents filed in sustainable energy was 3 patents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: IRENA - INSPIRE Platform (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in patents.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa is 3 patents, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 98.6% on the previous year and down 99.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa peaked at 687 patents in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3 patents, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 51st of 74 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa, year by year
| Year | patents | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 53 patents | — |
| 2001 | 114 patents | +115.1% |
| 2002 | 120 patents | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 126 patents | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 173 patents | +37.3% |
| 2005 | 201 patents | +16.2% |
| 2006 | 179 patents | -10.9% |
| 2007 | 226 patents | +26.3% |
| 2008 | 250 patents | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 272 patents | +8.8% |
| 2010 | 493 patents | +81.2% |
| 2011 | 687 patents | +39.4% |
| 2012 | 687 patents | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 609 patents | -11.4% |
| 2014 | 604 patents | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 450 patents | -25.5% |
| 2016 | 318 patents | -29.3% |
| 2017 | 284 patents | -10.7% |
| 2018 | 363 patents | +27.8% |
| 2019 | 307 patents | -15.4% |
| 2020 | 235 patents | -23.5% |
| 2021 | 286 patents | +21.7% |
| 2022 | 367 patents | +28.3% |
| 2023 | 211 patents | -42.5% |
| 2024 | 3 patents | -98.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 171.4 patents | 53 patents | 272 patents | 10 |
| 2010s | 480.2 patents | 284 patents | 687 patents | 10 |
| 2020s | 220.4 patents | 3 patents | 367 patents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.3095 % 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)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa?
- Annual patents filed in sustainable energy in South Africa was 3 patents in 2024, according to IRENA - INSPIRE Platform (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual patents filed in sustainable energy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 687 patents in 2011.
- What is the lowest annual patents filed in sustainable energy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 patents in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for annual patents filed in sustainable energy?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 74 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual patents filed in sustainable energy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA - INSPIRE Platform (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual patents filed in sustainable energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Figures in recent years are subject to a time lag; submitted patents may not yet be reflected in the data.