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

Netherlands: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent)
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
5th
of 12 countries
All-time high
140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
All-time low
42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2009
Years of data
16
2008–2023

R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Netherlands, 2008–2023

40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k120.0k140.0k2008201520232008: 48.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2009: 42.3k Persons (full-time equivalent)2010: 54.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2011: 74.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2012: 76.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2013: 95.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2014: 94.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2015: 97.4k Persons (full-time equivalent)2016: 102.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2017: 107.5k Persons (full-time equivalent)2018: 112.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2019: 115.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2020: 118.4k Persons (full-time equivalent)2021: 123.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2022: 133.9k Persons (full-time equivalent)2023: 140.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)

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

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 140,132 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 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 47.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Netherlands peaked at 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2009.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

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

Annual values for R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Netherlands, 2008 to 2023.
Year Persons (full-time equivalent) Change
2008 48,019 Persons (full-time equivalent)
2009 42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent) -11.8%
2010 54,139 Persons (full-time equivalent) +27.9%
2011 74,010 Persons (full-time equivalent) +36.7%
2012 76,767 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.7%
2013 95,108 Persons (full-time equivalent) +23.9%
2014 94,612 Persons (full-time equivalent) -0.5%
2015 97,443 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.0%
2016 102,614 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.3%
2017 107,496 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.8%
2018 112,807 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.9%
2019 115,124 Persons (full-time equivalent) +2.1%
2020 118,355 Persons (full-time equivalent) +2.8%
2021 123,627 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.5%
2022 133,950 Persons (full-time equivalent) +8.4%
2023 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) +4.6%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Netherlands changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2011 +36.7% 54,139 Persons (full-time equivalent) 74,010 Persons (full-time equivalent)
2010 +27.9% 42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent) 54,139 Persons (full-time equivalent)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 45,178 Persons (full-time equivalent) 42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent) 48,019 Persons (full-time equivalent) 2
2010s 93,012 Persons (full-time equivalent) 54,139 Persons (full-time equivalent) 115,124 Persons (full-time equivalent) 10
2020s 129,016 Persons (full-time equivalent) 118,355 Persons (full-time equivalent) 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) 4

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 2 Germany 543,452 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  2. 3 France 311,701 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  3. 3 United Kingdom 231,234 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  4. 4 Türkiye 190,341 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  5. 4 Chinese Taipei 243,658 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  6. 5 Canada 200,300 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  7. 6 Italy 200,101 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  8. 6 Poland 120,514 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  9. 7 Israel 136,441 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  10. 7 Slovenia 11,268 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  11. 8 Spain 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More economy & growth data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Netherlands?
R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Netherlands was 140,132 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 Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 140,132 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 42,336 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2009.
How does Netherlands rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
Netherlands ranks 5th out of 12 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Netherlands 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 Netherlands. 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/netherlands-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.