European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) vs United States: R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE

European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
2.05 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2024
United States
1.97 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2022
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) rank
2nd
United States rank
1st

R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE over time

  • European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
  • United States
0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M200520142024

How they compare

European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) currently reports 2.05 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 1.97 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United States, a difference of 82,370 Full-time equivalent (FTE).

The two have swapped places 4 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2011 it was United States ahead.

European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 4 regions.

Across the 2 decades both report, European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) averaged higher in 1 and United States in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) United States Difference Ahead
2010s 1.44 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 1.41 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 23,231 Full-time equivalent (FTE) European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
2020s 1.85 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 1.91 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 63,217 Full-time equivalent (FTE) United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by nace, European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) or United States?
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), at 2.05 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 1.97 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in r&d personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by nace between European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) and United States?
82,370 Full-time equivalent (FTE), with European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) and United States?
12 years are reported by both, from 2011 to 2022.
How do European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) and United States rank globally for r&d personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by nace?
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 4 regions.
Where does this data come from?
Eurostat, published as R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE Rev. 2 activity and sex. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) vs United States: R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-business-enterprise-sector-by-nace-rev-2-activity/european-union-27-countries-from-2020/united-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-business-enterprise-sector-by-nace-rev-2-activity/european-union-27-countries-from-2020/united-states/">European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) vs United States: R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by NACE Rev. 2 activity and sex
Unit
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
56 places, 1,027 data points, 2005–2024
Last refreshed