Africa has the highest number of female inventors in the world. By Pulse Nigeria

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A new study by UK’s Intellectual Property Office has explored gender profiles in patenting across the world.

The research titled: ‘An analysis of female inventorship’, found that the highest share of female inventors are in Africa. 

According to the study, Togo has the highest proportion of female involvement in patent applications from 1998 to 2017.

Uganda is second in the world with 44.55 per cent followed by Europe’s Latvia in third place with 39.05 per cent. 

Overall, there are five African nations on the list of the top 10 countries with the most female inventors.

Here are the top 10 countries with the highest number of female inventors:

• Togo — 57.14%

• Uganda — 44.55%

• Latvia — 39.05%

• Liberia — 38.89%

• Rwanda — 37.50%

• Cuba — 36.73%

• Botswana — 35.71%

• Sri Lanka — 34.22%

• Papua New Guinea — 29.63%

• Georgia — 29.56%

Female representation within inventors

Looking at the recent trends in female inventorship across the world, the report also found a slow but gradual increase in the number of female inventors in all global patent applications.

Before 1965, the share of female inventors in the world was generally between 2% and 3%. This has since grown from 6.8% in 1998 to 12.7% in 2017. Now, over one in five applications have at least one female inventor. 

This indicates that a growing increase in the share of female inventors in patent applications across the globe.