EPO has published figures on European patents and patent applications in 2018 (pdf). The Netherlands stands out in a few places. In the list 'Ratio per million inhabitants based on European patent applications', the Netherlands is in second place, immediately after Switzerland. In the Netherlands, 416 applications were submitted per million inhabitants. In absolute numbers, the Netherlands is in eighth place, after the US, Germany, Japan, France, China, Switzerland and Korea.
The fact that Switzerland and the Netherlands are doing relatively well does not necessarily mean that a lot of innovative research is taking place in those countries. There is no obligation that an application for a European patent be filed from the country where the research was done.
The company with the most submissions was Siemens, followed by Huawei, Samsung, LG, United Technologies and Royal Philips. Large companies together accounted for 71% of applications.
Most patent applications were for medical technology, followed by digital communication and computer technology.
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