R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain
Spain: R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity was 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023. ▲ Rising
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain, 2005–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons (full-time equivalent).
Analysis
The most recent figure for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain is 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent), measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 52.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain peaked at 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023 and was at its lowest, 75,345 Persons (full-time equivalent), in 2005.
That places Spain 8th 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 19 years of available data.
R&D personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain, year by year
| Year | Persons (full-time equivalent) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 75,345 Persons (full-time equivalent) | — |
| 2006 | 82,870 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 87,543 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 95,207 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 93,699 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 92,221 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 89,841 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 89,364 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 88,635 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 87,642 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 87,432 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 90,129 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 95,667 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 104,474 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +9.2% |
| 2019 | 106,435 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 104,728 Persons (full-time equivalent) | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 116,465 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +11.2% |
| 2022 | 125,529 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) | +7.4% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for high income countries, which is 47,094 Persons (full-time equivalent), 2.9× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Spain's 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 42,296 Persons (full-time equivalent), 3.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 86,933 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 75,345 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 95,207 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 5 |
| 2010s | 93,184 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 87,432 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 106,435 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 10 |
| 2020s | 120,379 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 104,728 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
- 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
- 7 Israel 136,441 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 7 Slovenia 11,268 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 9 Australia 91,414 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 9 Croatia 7,201 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 10 Austria 65,713 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 10 Lithuania 5,518 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 11 Estonia 4,524 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
- 11 Sweden 64,641 Persons (full-time equivalent) compare
More economy & growth data for Spain
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.77 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.62 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 46.38 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0243 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 939.77 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 28.09 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -34.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0147 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 569.12 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 19.32 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain?
- R&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity in Spain was 134,793 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 134,793 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2023.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 75,345 Persons (full-time equivalent) in 2005.
- How does Spain rank for r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity?
- Spain ranks 8th out of 28 countries with data for 2023.
- Is r&d personnel in the business enterprise sector by main activity rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.