China except Hong Kong vs Japan: R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex

China except Hong Kong
7.24 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2023
Japan
927,402 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2023
China except Hong Kong rank
1st
Japan rank
1st

R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex over time

  • China except Hong Kong
  • Japan
02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M198020012023

How they compare

China except Hong Kong currently reports 7.24 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 927,402 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in Japan, a difference of 6.31 million Full-time equivalent (FTE).

That makes China except Hong Kong's figure about 7.8 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Japan ahead.

China except Hong Kong ranks 1st and Japan ranks 1st of 4 regions.

Across the 4 decades both report, China except Hong Kong averaged higher in 3 and Japan in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade China except Hong Kong Japan Difference Ahead
1990s 754,400 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 924,599 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 170,199 Full-time equivalent (FTE) Japan
2000s 1.40 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 881,261 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 520,869 Full-time equivalent (FTE) China except Hong Kong
2010s 3.68 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 879,806 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 2.80 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) China except Hong Kong
2020s 6.14 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) 930,279 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 5.21 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) China except Hong Kong

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex, China except Hong Kong or Japan?
China except Hong Kong, at 7.24 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 927,402 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in Japan as of 2023.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex between China except Hong Kong and Japan?
6.31 million Full-time equivalent (FTE), with China except Hong Kong ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China except Hong Kong and Japan?
33 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2023.
How do China except Hong Kong and Japan rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex?
China except Hong Kong ranks 1st and Japan ranks 1st of 4 regions.
Where does this data come from?
Eurostat, published as R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China except Hong Kong vs Japan: R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-professional-position-and-sex/china-except-hong-kong/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex
Unit
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
54 places, 1,706 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed