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

Norway: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent)
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
19th
of 28 countries
All-time high
30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2023
All-time low
17,821 Persons (full-time equivalent)
in 2010
Years of data
16
2008–2023

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

010.0k20.0k30.0k2008201520232008: 18.5k Persons (full-time equivalent)2009: 18.2k Persons (full-time equivalent)2010: 17.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2011: 18.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2012: 18.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2013: 19.0k Persons (full-time equivalent)2014: 20.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2015: 21.6k Persons (full-time equivalent)2016: 22.2k Persons (full-time equivalent)2017: 23.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2018: 23.8k Persons (full-time equivalent)2019: 25.2k Persons (full-time equivalent)2020: 26.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2021: 27.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)2022: 28.7k Persons (full-time equivalent)2023: 30.1k Persons (full-time equivalent)

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

Analysis

Norway recorded 30,102 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.

That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and up 58.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Norway peaked at 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 17,821 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2010.

That places Norway 19th out of 28 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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 Norway, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Norway, 2008 to 2023.
Year Persons (full-time equivalent) Change
2008 18,491 Persons (full-time equivalent)
2009 18,166 Persons (full-time equivalent) -1.8%
2010 17,821 Persons (full-time equivalent) -1.9%
2011 18,111 Persons (full-time equivalent) +1.6%
2012 18,624 Persons (full-time equivalent) +2.8%
2013 19,041 Persons (full-time equivalent) +2.2%
2014 20,597 Persons (full-time equivalent) +8.2%
2015 21,637 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.0%
2016 22,171 Persons (full-time equivalent) +2.5%
2017 23,766 Persons (full-time equivalent) +7.2%
2018 23,766 Persons (full-time equivalent) +0.0%
2019 25,154 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.8%
2020 26,141 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.9%
2021 27,053 Persons (full-time equivalent) +3.5%
2022 28,665 Persons (full-time equivalent) +6.0%
2023 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) +5.0%

Norway compared with similar countries

  • Norway's 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) is below the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 64% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Norway's 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 71% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18,328 Persons (full-time equivalent) 18,166 Persons (full-time equivalent) 18,491 Persons (full-time equivalent) 2
2010s 21,069 Persons (full-time equivalent) 17,821 Persons (full-time equivalent) 25,154 Persons (full-time equivalent) 10
2020s 27,990 Persons (full-time equivalent) 26,141 Persons (full-time equivalent) 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) 4

Countries ranked near Norway

  1. 16 Portugal 41,579 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  2. 17 Hungary 36,881 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  3. 18 Finland 35,355 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  4. 20 Ireland 26,571 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  5. 21 Greece 22,628 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
  6. 22 New Zealand 20,000 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare

See the full ranking of 40 places →

More economy & growth data for Norway

All data for Norway →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Norway?
R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Norway was 30,102 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 Norway?
The highest recorded value was 30,102 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Norway?
The lowest recorded value was 17,821 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2010.
How does Norway rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
Norway ranks 19th out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Norway?
Over the last ten years it is up 58.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Norway 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 Norway. 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/norway/

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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.