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

Estonia: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent)
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
11th
of 12 countries
All-time high
4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
All-time low
1,398 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2005
Years of data
19
2005–2023

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia, 2005–2023

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k2005201420232005: 1.4k Persons (full-time equivalent)2006: 1.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2007: 1.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2008: 1.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2009: 1.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2010: 2.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2011: 2.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2012: 2.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2013: 2.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2014: 1.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2015: 1.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2016: 1.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2017: 2.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2018: 2.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2019: 2.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2020: 2.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2021: 3.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2022: 4.2k Persons (full-time equivalent)2023: 4.5k Persons (full-time equivalent)

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).

Analysis

In 2023, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia stood at 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent). That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

The figure is up 8.0% on the previous year and up 118.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia peaked at 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,398 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Estonia, 2005 to 2023.
Year Persons (full-time equivalent) Change
2005 1,398 Persons (full-time equivalent)
2006 1,631 Persons (full-time equivalent) +16.7%
2007 1,689 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.6%
2008 1,845 Persons (full-time equivalent) +9.2%
2009 1,924 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.3%
2010 1,955 Persons (full-time equivalent) +1.6%
2011 2,121 Persons (full-time equivalent) +8.5%
2012 1,988 Persons (full-time equivalent) -6.3%
2013 2,069 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.1%
2014 1,798 Persons (full-time equivalent) -13.1%
2015 1,694 Persons (full-time equivalent) -5.8%
2016 1,855 Persons (full-time equivalent) +9.5%
2017 2,086 Persons (full-time equivalent) +12.5%
2018 2,150 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.1%
2019 2,639 Persons (full-time equivalent) +22.7%
2020 2,750 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.2%
2021 3,114 Persons (full-time equivalent) +13.3%
2022 4,189 Persons (full-time equivalent) +34.5%
2023 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) +8.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,697 Persons (full-time equivalent) 1,398 Persons (full-time equivalent) 1,924 Persons (full-time equivalent) 5
2010s 2,036 Persons (full-time equivalent) 1,694 Persons (full-time equivalent) 2,639 Persons (full-time equivalent) 10
2020s 3,644 Persons (full-time equivalent) 2,750 Persons (full-time equivalent) 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) 4

Countries ranked near Estonia

  1. 8 Spain 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  2. 9 Australia 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  3. 9 Croatia 7,201 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  4. 10 Austria 65,713 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  5. 10 Lithuania 5,518 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  6. 11 Sweden 64,641 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  7. 12 Belgium 60,721 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  8. 12 Latvia 1,857 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  9. 13 Switzerland 58,899 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  10. 14 Czechia 51,174 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More economy & growth data for Estonia

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia?
R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia was 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023, 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 Estonia?
The highest recorded value was 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Estonia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,398 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
How does Estonia rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
Estonia ranks 11th out of 12 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Estonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 118.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Estonia 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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R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Estonia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-in-the-business-enterprise-sector-by-main-activity-r-and-d-personnel/estonia-2/

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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.