Overview

• Independent inventors filed 2,160 patents in 2022, a drop of roughly 75% since 2000 and the lowest level in the dataset cited.
• Their share of patent activity has fallen from about one quarter in the mid‑1990s to roughly five percent today, as filings concentrate with companies and institutions.
• IW expert Oliver Koppel cites a sharply higher state of knowledge and growing invention complexity that make it harder for lone applicants to meet novelty thresholds.
• Public funding has shifted toward start‑ups while programs for garage inventors were cut, prompting calls for renewed, targeted support.
• Overall patent counts in Germany have risen due to foreign applicants, while women’s share among free inventor filings has grown to 9.9% and Bavaria, North Rhine‑Westphalia and Baden‑Württemberg lead in absolute numbers.