Intellectual Property Earnings by Country 2023

About This Dataset

This chart ranks countries by the money they received from foreign parties in 2023 for the use of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, franchises and licensing of industrial processes. Figures are balance of payments receipts in current US dollars.

✨ AI Insight

The United States lead with $148.2 billion in intellectual property receipts, more than double second-placed Netherlands on $57.6 billion and roughly equal to the next three countries combined. This is arguably the clearest financial measure of a country's accumulated innovation, and America's lead is decisive. Japan on $51.9 billion and Germany on $48 billion complete a top four in which every member earns over $45 billion. The most revealing entry is China at $10.9 billion, ranked tenth: despite publishing more scientific papers than any nation, China earns barely 7% of what the United States does from licensing ideas, a gap between research volume and commercial ownership of intellectual property.

Source: World Bank (IMF Balance of Payments)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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United States leads with 148 in 2023.

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Average value in 2023: 43 · median: 31.

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Gap in 2023: United States is 13.6× larger than China.