R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia
Australia: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2021. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia, 2006–2021
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
Australia recorded 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in 2021. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.6% on the previous year and up 40.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia peaked at 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2021 and was at its lowest, 46,462 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2006.
That places Australia 9th out of 28 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 46,462 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2007 | 50,896 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +9.5% |
| 2008 | 53,886 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 57,936 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 56,510 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 64,906 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 78,839 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +21.5% |
| 2015 | 70,467 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -10.6% |
| 2017 | 74,991 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 77,724 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +17.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 1.9× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52,295 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 46,462 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 57,936 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 4 |
| 2010s | 70,573 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 56,510 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 78,839 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 6 |
| 2020s | 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 6 Italy 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 6 Poland 120,514 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 7 Israel 136,441 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 7 Slovenia 11,268 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 8 Spain 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 9 Croatia 7,201 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 10 Austria 65,713 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 10 Lithuania 5,518 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 11 Estonia 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 11 Sweden 64,641 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 12 Belgium 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 12 Latvia 1,857 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
More economy & growth data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.36 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -4.55 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0025 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -164.69 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 36.52 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -32.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0203 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,323 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 20.24 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Australia was 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2021, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2021.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 46,462 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2006.
- How does Australia rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 28 countries with data for 2021.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.