R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) in France
France: R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) was 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in France, 2005–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
France recorded 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in 2023. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in France peaked at 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 194,991 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.
That places France 3rd out of 28 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) in France, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 194,991 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2006 | 207,875 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 215,891 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 220,016 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 225,891 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 235,588 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 239,111 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 246,438 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 251,446 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 255,805 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 265,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 286,320 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 302,380 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 303,204 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 6.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- France's 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 7.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 212,933 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 194,991 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 225,891 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 5 |
| 2010s | 249,015 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 235,588 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 265,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 6 |
| 2020s | 300,901 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 286,320 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
- 1 Japan 626,709 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 2 Germany 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 3 United Kingdom 231,234 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 4 Türkiye 190,341 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 4 Taiwan 243,658 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 5 Canada 200,300 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 5 Netherlands 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 6 Italy 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 6 Poland 120,514 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
More economy & growth data for France
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -16.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.18 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.34 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0112 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 549.07 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 0.851 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0082 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 400.93 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.54 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in France?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in France was 311,701 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 194,991 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
- How does France rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- France ranks 3rd out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.