Italy vs Spain: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity

Italy
200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
Spain
134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
Italy rank
6th
Spain rank
8th

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

  • Italy
  • Spain
50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k200520142023

How they compare

Italy currently reports 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) against 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) in Spain, a difference of 65,308 Persons (full-time equivalent).

That makes Italy's figure about 1.5 times Spain's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 19 shared years of data; in 2005 it was Spain ahead.

Italy ranks 6th and Spain ranks 8th of 28 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy Spain Difference Ahead
2000s 92,195 Persons (full-time equivalent) 86,933 Persons (full-time equivalent) 5,263 Persons (full-time equivalent) Italy
2010s 153,589 Persons (full-time equivalent) 93,184 Persons (full-time equivalent) 60,405 Persons (full-time equivalent) Italy
2020s 202,147 Persons (full-time equivalent) 120,379 Persons (full-time equivalent) 81,768 Persons (full-time equivalent) Italy

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, Italy or Spain?
Italy, at 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) against 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) in Spain as of 2023.
What is the difference in r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity between Italy and Spain?
65,308 Persons (full-time equivalent), with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
19 years are reported by both, from 2005 to 2023.
How do Italy and Spain rank globally for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
Italy ranks 6th and Spain ranks 8th 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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Italy vs Spain: 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/italy/spain/

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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.