South Korea vs OECD members: Researchers in R&D

South Korea
9,472 per million people
in 2023
OECD members
4,464 per million people
in 2022
South Korea rank
1st
OECD members rank
4th

Researchers in R&D over time

  • South Korea
  • OECD members
2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k199620092023

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 9,472 per million people against 4,464 per million people in OECD members, a difference of 5,008 per million people.

That makes South Korea's figure about 2.1 times OECD members's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1996 it was OECD members ahead.

South Korea ranks 1st and OECD members ranks 4th of 103 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and OECD members in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Korea OECD members Difference Ahead
1990s 2,149 per million people 2,570 per million people 420.84 per million people OECD members
2000s 3,719 per million people 3,016 per million people 702.9 per million people South Korea
2010s 6,884 per million people 3,521 per million people 3,363 per million people South Korea
2020s 9,042 per million people 4,308 per million people 4,734 per million people South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher researchers in r&d, South Korea or OECD members?
South Korea, at 9,472 per million people against 4,464 per million people in OECD members as of 2023.
What is the difference in researchers in r&d between South Korea and OECD members?
5,008 per million people, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and OECD members?
27 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2022.
How do South Korea and OECD members rank globally for researchers in r&d?
South Korea ranks 1st and OECD members ranks 4th 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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South Korea vs OECD members: Researchers in R&D. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/korea-rep/oecd-members/

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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.