World class patents in cutting-edge technologies: The innovation power of East Asia, North America, and Europe

The patent portfolio of an economy forms an import- ant basis for its innovation, and, as a result, competi- tiveness. In this study, we look at how this portfolio of individual countries and regions has developed since the turn of the millennium. We focus on 58 important cutting-edge technologies, sorted into ten subject fields. In contrast to most other studies on this sub- ject, we focus on the world class patents, i.e. the most important 10 percent among all patents, instead of considering all patent applications. We hope to con- tribute to a better assessment of the innovation ca- pacity of large economies, which has become even more important during the coronavirus crisis