France vs United Kingdom: R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex

France
520,816 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2024
United Kingdom
486,088 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2019
France rank
7th
United Kingdom rank
8th

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

  • France
  • United Kingdom
0200.0k400.0k600.0k198120022024

How they compare

France currently reports 520,816 Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 486,088 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United Kingdom, a difference of 34,728 Full-time equivalent (FTE).

That makes France's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 36 shared years of data; in 1981 it was United Kingdom ahead.

France ranks 7th and United Kingdom ranks 8th of 50 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, France averaged higher in 3 and United Kingdom in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade France United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1980s 270,736 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 295,333 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 24,597 Full-time equivalent (FTE) United Kingdom
1990s 310,171 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 271,337 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 38,834 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France
2000s 360,654 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 325,850 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 34,804 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France
2010s 426,347 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 406,154 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 20,193 Full-time equivalent (FTE) France

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, France or United Kingdom?
France, at 520,816 Full-time equivalent (FTE) against 486,088 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex between France and United Kingdom?
34,728 Full-time equivalent (FTE), with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
36 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2019.
How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex?
France ranks 7th and United Kingdom ranks 8th of 50 countries.
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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France vs United Kingdom: 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/france/united-kingdom-2/

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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