R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) by country
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)...
What the numbers show
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) is currently reported for 37 countries. The highest value is 626,709 Persons (full-time equivalent) in Japan; the lowest is 1,799 Persons (full-time equivalent) in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 43,014 Persons (full-time equivalent), and the mean is 103,180 Persons (full-time equivalent).
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 348.
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 626,709 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 7.3% | flat |
| 2 | Germany | 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 50.8% | rising |
| 3 | France | 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 231,234 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2017 | up 47.0% | rising |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 243,658 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 40.6% | rising |
| 4 | Türkiye | 190,341 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 226.0% | volatile |
| 5 | Canada | 200,300 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2022 | up 43.6% | rising |
| 5 | Netherlands | 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 47.3% | rising |
| 6 | Italy | 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 60.4% | rising |
| 6 | Poland | 120,514 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 298.4% | volatile |
| 7 | Israel | 136,441 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2022 | up 112.4% | rising |
| 7 | Slovenia | 11,268 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 14.9% | rising |
| 8 | Spain | 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 52.1% | rising |
| 9 | Australia | 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2021 | up 40.8% | rising |
| 9 | Croatia | 7,201 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 189.3% | rising |
| 10 | Austria | 65,713 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 41.6% | rising |
| 10 | Lithuania | 5,518 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 129.8% | rising |
| 11 | Sweden | 64,641 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2019 | up 15.8% | rising |
| 11 | Estonia | 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 118.7% | rising |
| 12 | Belgium | 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2020 | up 85.7% | rising |
| 12 | Latvia | 1,857 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 89.3% | rising |
| 13 | Switzerland | 58,899 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 14 | Czechia | 51,174 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 54.2% | rising |
| 15 | Denmark | 43,014 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 16 | Portugal | 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 156.3% | rising |
| 17 | Hungary | 36,881 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 65.8% | rising |
| 18 | Finland | 35,355 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 19 | Norway | 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 58.1% | rising |
| 20 | Ireland | 26,571 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 55.4% | rising |
| 21 | Greece | 22,628 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 231.2% | rising |
| 22 | New Zealand | 20,000 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2021 | up 127.3% | rising |
| 23 | Argentina | 19,938 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 58.0% | rising |
| 24 | Romania | 13,754 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 30.8% | flat |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 13,227 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 143.5% | rising |
| 26 | Chile | 7,491 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2022 | up 58.1% | rising |
| 27 | Luxembourg | 3,004 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2023 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 28 | Iceland | 1,799 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 2017 | up 20.7% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- China (People's Republic of) 5.73 million Persons (full-time equivalent)
- Korea 459,405 Persons (full-time equivalent)
- Slovak Republic 10,071 Persons (full-time equivalent)
About this data
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.