R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany
Germany: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany, 2005–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
Germany recorded 543,452 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 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.7% on the previous year and up 50.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany peaked at 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 304,502 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.
Germany ranks 2nd of 28 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 304,502 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2006 | 312,145 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 321,853 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 332,909 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 332,491 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 337,211 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 357,129 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 367,478 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 360,375 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 371,706 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 404,767 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +8.9% |
| 2016 | 413,027 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 436,571 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 451,057 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 475,676 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 467,444 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 478,129 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +13.7% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 11.5× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Germany's 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 12.8× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 320,780 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 304,502 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 332,909 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 5 |
| 2010s | 397,500 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 337,211 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 475,676 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 10 |
| 2020s | 496,342 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 467,444 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 1 Japan 626,709 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 3 France 311,701 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 Chinese Taipei 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
More economy & growth data for Germany
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.7761 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 0.6565 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 108.13 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0214 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,295 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 95.19 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 51.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0188 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1,140 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 51.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Germany was 543,452 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 304,502 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
- How does Germany rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- Germany ranks 2nd out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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.