France vs United States: Number of R&D researchers per million people
France
5,369 per million people
in 2023
United States
4,937 per million people
in 2022
France rank
20th
United States rank
23rd
Number of R&D researchers per million people over time
- France
- United States
How they compare
France currently reports 5,369 per million people against 4,937 per million people in United States, a difference of 432 per million people.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1996 it was United States ahead.
France ranks 20th and United States ranks 23rd of 103 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,670 per million people | 3,384 per million people | 714.01 per million people | United States |
| 2000s | 3,311 per million people | 3,693 per million people | 381.86 per million people | United States |
| 2010s | 4,286 per million people | 3,942 per million people | 343.9 per million people | France |
| 2020s | 5,041 per million people | 4,802 per million people | 239.02 per million people | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of r&d researchers per million people, France or United States?
- France, at 5,369 per million people against 4,937 per million people in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of r&d researchers per million people between France and United States?
- 432 per million people, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United States?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2022.
- How do France and United States rank globally for number of r&d researchers per million people?
- France ranks 20th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Professionals engaged in conceiving or creating new knowledge, products, processes, methods, or systems.