Australia vs United States: Number of R&D researchers per million people

Australia
4,569 per million people
in 2010
United States
4,937 per million people
in 2022
Australia rank
26th
United States rank
23rd

Number of R&D researchers per million people over time

  • Australia
  • United States
01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k199620092022

How they compare

United States currently reports 4,937 per million people against 4,569 per million people in Australia, a difference of 368 per million people.

That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 8 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 26th and United States ranks 23rd of 103 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia United States Difference Ahead
1990s 3,367 per million people 3,340 per million people 27.16 per million people Australia
2000s 3,990 per million people 3,668 per million people 322.18 per million people Australia
2010s 4,569 per million people 3,644 per million people 924.64 per million people Australia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of r&d researchers per million people, Australia or United States?
United States, at 4,937 per million people against 4,569 per million people in Australia as of 2022.
What is the difference in number of r&d researchers per million people between Australia and United States?
368 per million people, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and United States?
8 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2010.
How do Australia and United States rank globally for number of r&d researchers per million people?
Australia ranks 26th and United States ranks 23rd of 103 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of R&D researchers per million people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs United States: Number of R&D researchers per million people. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/researchers-in-rd-per-million-people/australia/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of R&D researchers per million people
Unit
per million people
Source
UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
103 places, 1,875 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

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