France vs United Kingdom: R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size

France
315,753 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2024
United Kingdom
270,417 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2019
France rank
9th
United Kingdom rank
10th

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

  • France
  • United Kingdom
0100.0k200.0k300.0k198120022024

How they compare

France currently reports 315,753 Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 270,417 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United Kingdom, a difference of 45,336 Full-time equivalent (FTE).

That makes France's figure about 1.2 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 39 shared years of data; in 1981 it was United Kingdom ahead.

France ranks 9th and United Kingdom ranks 10th of 52 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, France averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade France United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1980s 138,863 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 184,333 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 45,470 Full-time equivalent (FTE) United Kingdom
1990s 163,045 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 149,963 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 13,082 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France
2000s 201,281 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 151,962 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 49,319 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France
2010s 255,414 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 201,099 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 54,315 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France

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 size, France or United Kingdom?
France, at 315,753 Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 270,417 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in r&d personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size between France and United Kingdom?
45,336 Full-time equivalent (FTE), with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
39 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2019.
How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for r&d personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size?
France ranks 9th and United Kingdom ranks 10th of 52 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Eurostat, published as R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size class and sex. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs United Kingdom: R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size. 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-size-class-and-sex/france/united-kingdom-2/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel and researchers in business enterprise sector by size class and sex
Unit
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
56 places, 1,751 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed