Intellectual Property Payments by Country 2023

About This Dataset

This chart ranks countries by the money they paid to 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 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

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Ireland leads with 153 in 2023.

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Average value in 2023: 44 · median: 31.

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Gap in 2023: Ireland is 9× larger than Singapore.