This statistical profile documents intellectual property applications in Uruguay in total and relative to population and research capacity.
The intellectual property filing profile of Uruguay in 2017 comprised 5.3% patents, 93.6% trademarks and 1.2% industrial designs. The patent-to-trademark application ratio was 0.06, while the industrial-design-to-patent ratio was 0.22. Over five years, patent applications changed by -25.3%, trademark applications by -6.4%, industrial design applications by -1.7%. Research and development expenditure represented 0.70% of GDP in 2023.
In the common comparison year 2017, Uruguay ranked 80th of 120 economies by total included IP applications.
Uruguay Intellectual Property Activity by Year
Data source: World Bank, World Development Indicators — Patent applications, residents (IP.PAT.RESD); Patent applications, nonresidents (IP.PAT.NRES); Trademark applications, resident, by count (IP.TMK.RSCT); Trademark applications, nonresident, by count (IP.TMK.NRCT); Industrial design applications, resident, by count (IP.IDS.RSCT); Industrial design applications, nonresident, by count (IP.IDS.NRCT); Population, total (population); Research and development expenditure, % of GDP (GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS); Researchers in R&D, per million people (SP.POP.SCIE.RD.P6).
License: CC BY-4.0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
About the Indicators
Patent applications, residents. Patent applications filed with a national or regional patent office by applicants resident in the country, via the Paris Convention route or a national filing.
Patent applications, nonresidents. Patent applications filed in the country by applicants resident abroad.
Trademark applications, resident, by count. Trademark applications filed by applicants resident in the country.
Trademark applications, nonresident, by count. Trademark applications filed in the country by applicants resident abroad.
Industrial design applications, resident, by count. Industrial design applications filed by applicants resident in the country.
Industrial design applications, nonresident, by count. Industrial design applications filed in the country by applicants resident abroad.
Research and development expenditure, % of GDP. Gross domestic spending on research and development, expressed as a share of GDP.
Researchers in R&D, per million people. Professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes or systems, per million people.