Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered AI (Artificial Intelligence) on April 13 said in its AI Index 2026 report that Korea topped the world in AI patents per capita. (iClickArt) Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution of this photo is prohibited under copyright law.

By Koh Hyun Jeong

Korea tops the world in the number of artificial intelligence (AI) patents per capita and ranks third in the number of notable AI models.

The 2026 AI Index report released on April 13 by Stanford University's Human-Centered AI (HAI) Institute said Korea as of 2024 led the world with 14.31 AI patents per 100,000 people.

The country's figure was significantly higher than those of Luxembourg (12.25), China (6.95), the U.S. (4.68) and Japan (4.3).

In the total number of patents, China led the world with 74.24%, followed by the U.S. with 12.06%. But Korea was No. 1 in "innovation density," which considers population size.

In technological achievements, Korea ranked third with five notable AI models released last year, trailing only the U.S. (50) and China (30).

Korea also had the fastest growth in the use of generative AI, going from 25.9% in the first half of last year to 30.7% in the second for the biggest jump among the 30 regions surveyed.

Legislative and other policy support were also strong. From 2016 to last year, 17 AI-related bills were enacted, the second most among the Group of 20 economies behind the U.S. (25).

hjkoh@korea.kr