France vs Germany: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity

France
311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
Germany
543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
France rank
3rd
Germany rank
2nd

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity over time

  • France
  • Germany
0200.0k400.0k600.0k200520142023

How they compare

Germany currently reports 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) against 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) in France, a difference of 231,751 Persons (full-time equivalent).

That makes Germany's figure about 1.7 times France's.

Across all 14 years both countries report, Germany has been ahead every year.

France ranks 3rd and Germany ranks 2nd of 28 countries.

Germany has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Germany Difference Ahead
2000s 212,933 Persons (full-time equivalent) 320,780 Persons (full-time equivalent) 107,847 Persons (full-time equivalent) Germany
2010s 249,015 Persons (full-time equivalent) 378,632 Persons (full-time equivalent) 129,617 Persons (full-time equivalent) Germany
2020s 300,134 Persons (full-time equivalent) 496,342 Persons (full-time equivalent) 196,208 Persons (full-time equivalent) Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity, France or Germany?
Germany, at 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) against 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) in France as of 2023.
What is the difference in r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity between France and Germany?
231,751 Persons (full-time equivalent), with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
14 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2023.
How do France and Germany rank globally for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
France ranks 3rd and Germany ranks 2nd of 28 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs Germany: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-in-the-business-enterprise-sector-by-main-activity-r-and-d-personnel/france/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit
Persons (full-time equivalent)
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
40 places, 587 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

This table presents research and development (R&D) statistics on personnel in the business enterprise sector. Measured in full-time equivalent are the number of total R&D personnel and researchers in the business enterprise sector by industry according to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) revision 4. Data at the industry level are presented from 2000, first year from which some countries converted their data from ISIC rev.3.1 to the current ISIC rev. 4 classification.