R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium
Belgium: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2020. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium, 2005–2020
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
The most recent figure for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium is 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent), measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 5.3% on the previous year and up 85.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium peaked at 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31,613 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.
That places Belgium 12th out of 28 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 31,613 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2006 | 32,750 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 34,011 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 32,905 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 32,969 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 32,692 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 35,010 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 38,108 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 38,497 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 42,391 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 44,508 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 46,564 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 50,106 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 57,662 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +15.1% |
| 2020 | 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 1.3× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 1.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32,850 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 31,613 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 34,011 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 5 |
| 2010s | 42,838 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 32,692 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 57,662 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 9 |
| 2020s | 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 1 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 9 Australia 91,414 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 Latvia 1,857 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 13 Switzerland 58,899 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 14 Czechia 51,174 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 15 Denmark 43,014 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
More economy & growth data for Belgium
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.04 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.25 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -19.31 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0266 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -1,617 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -28.79 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 30.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0397 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -2,411 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 33.22 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Belgium was 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2020, 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2020.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 31,613 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
- How does Belgium rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- Belgium ranks 12th out of 28 countries with data for 2020.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 85.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
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.