R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) in Italy
Italy: R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) was 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Italy, 2005–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
Italy recorded 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in 2023.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 60.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Italy peaked at 225,056 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2019 and was at its lowest, 70,725 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.
That places Italy 6th out of 28 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
R&D personnel: R&D Personnel (total economy) in Italy, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 70,725 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2006 | 80,082 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +13.2% |
| 2007 | 93,760 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +17.1% |
| 2008 | 106,643 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 109,768 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 112,212 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 112,478 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 120,162 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +6.8% |
| 2013 | 124,736 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 129,271 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 136,725 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 164,471 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +20.3% |
| 2017 | 191,960 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +16.7% |
| 2018 | 218,822 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +14.0% |
| 2019 | 225,056 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 211,789 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 198,175 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 198,522 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +0.8% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 4.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Italy's 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 4.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 92,195 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 70,725 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 109,768 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 5 |
| 2010s | 153,589 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 112,212 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 225,056 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 10 |
| 2020s | 202,147 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 198,175 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 211,789 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 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 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 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 Australia 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 9 Croatia 7,201 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
More economy & growth data for Italy
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -31.03 % 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 0.8337 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0116 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 502.25 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.3992 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0085 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 366.74 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Italy?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Italy was 200,101 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 225,056 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2019.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 70,725 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
- How does Italy rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- Italy ranks 6th out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.