Charges for the Use of Intellectual Property, Payments in 2023, % of GDP

In contrast to our previous post, when we look at intellectual property (IP) payments as a share of GDP, the picture changes.

While France leads in total payments, Malta stands out as the Mediterranean country spending the most relative to its economy – allocating over 5% of its GDP to IP payments. Cyprus follows in second place, spending around 1% of its GDP on IP payments.

This is interesting, as it highlights how smaller economies can have a high reliance on foreign patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Countries like Malta and Cyprus often serve as financial or digital service hubs, licensing foreign-owned technologies.