Countries Paying the Most for Intellectual Property

This chart ranks countries by the money they pay to foreign parties for the use of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, franchises and licensing of industrial processes. Figures are balance of payments payments...

About This Dataset

Countries Paying the Most for Intellectual Property
This chart ranks countries by the money they pay to foreign parties for the use of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, franchises and licensing of industrial processes. Figures are balance of payments payments in current US dollars.
✨ AI Insight

Ireland leads with $153.2 billion in intellectual property payments, almost triple second-placed United States on $52.6 billion, an extraordinary figure for a country of just five million people. Read against the receipts data it becomes stark: Ireland pays $153.2 billion for intellectual property but earns only $16.5 billion, a deficit of roughly $137 billion that reflects multinational corporations routing IP licensing through Irish subsidiaries rather than genuine domestic demand. The United States present the mirror image, earning $148.2 billion while paying $52.6 billion, a surplus of nearly $96 billion. China's $42.7 billion in payments against $10.9 billion in receipts shows a country still buying far more technology than it licenses out.

Source:  World Bank (IMF Balance of Payments)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆
Ireland leads with 153 in 2023.
📊
Average value in 2023: 44  ·  median: 31.
↔️
Gap in 2023: Ireland is larger than Singapore.

Countries Paying the Most for Intellectual Property

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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin
Data Points
10
10 categories  ·  1 year
Top Value
153.20
Ireland
Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) · 2023
Metrics
1
Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$)
Period
2023
Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) · 2023

# Category 2023
🥇 Ireland 153.20
🥈 United States 52.60
🥉 China 42.70
4 Netherlands 39.60
5 Switzerland 32.40
6 Japan 29.10
7 United Kingdom 25.70
8 Germany 24.60
9 Canada 20.10
10 Singapore 17.10
Statistical Summary — Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) · 2023
153.20
Maximum
17.10
Minimum
44
Average
31
Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

Ireland
Recorded 153.20 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
United States
Recorded 52.60 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
China
Recorded 42.70 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Netherlands
Recorded 39.60 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Switzerland
Recorded 32.40 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Japan
Recorded 29.10 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
United Kingdom
Recorded 25.70 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Germany
Recorded 24.60 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Canada
Recorded 20.10 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.
Singapore
Recorded 17.10 Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) in 2023.

Full Data Table

10 records across 1 year

✓ 10 sourced
Category Metric 2023 Source
Ireland Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 153.20
United States Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 52.60
China Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 42.70
Netherlands Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 39.60
Switzerland Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 32.40
Japan Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 29.10
United Kingdom Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 25.70
Germany Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 24.60
Canada Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 20.10
Singapore Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments (US$) 17.10

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

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