Costa Rica vs South Africa: Researchers in R&D

Costa Rica
507.76 per million people
in 2023
South Africa
444.16 per million people
in 2022
Costa Rica rank
73rd
South Africa rank
76th

Researchers in R&D over time

  • Costa Rica
  • South Africa
100200300400500600199720102023

How they compare

Costa Rica currently reports 507.76 per million people against 444.16 per million people in South Africa, a difference of 63.6 per million people.

That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 17 shared years of data; in 2003 it was South Africa ahead.

Costa Rica ranks 73rd and South Africa ranks 76th of 103 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Costa Rica South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 195.11 per million people 355.64 per million people 160.52 per million people South Africa
2010s 426.49 per million people 440.74 per million people 14.25 per million people South Africa
2020s 413.68 per million people 452.98 per million people 39.31 per million people South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher researchers in r&d, Costa Rica or South Africa?
Costa Rica, at 507.76 per million people against 444.16 per million people in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in researchers in r&d between Costa Rica and South Africa?
63.6 per million people, with Costa Rica ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
17 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2022.
How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for researchers in r&d?
Costa Rica ranks 73rd and South Africa ranks 76th of 103 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Researchers in R&D (per million people). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Costa Rica vs South Africa: Researchers in R&D. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/costa-rica/south-africa/

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<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/costa-rica/south-africa/">Costa Rica vs South Africa: Researchers in R&D</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Researchers in R&D (per million people)
Unit
per million people
Source
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,361 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.