Pakistan vs South Africa: Number of R&D researchers per million people

Pakistan
473.72 per million people
in 2023
South Africa
444.16 per million people
in 2022
Pakistan rank
75th
South Africa rank
76th

Number of R&D researchers per million people over time

  • Pakistan
  • South Africa
100200300400500199720102023

How they compare

Pakistan currently reports 473.72 per million people against 444.16 per million people in South Africa, a difference of 29.56 per million people.

That makes Pakistan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

Across all 10 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Pakistan ranks 75th and South Africa ranks 76th of 103 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Pakistan South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 70.99 per million people 188.03 per million people 117.03 per million people South Africa
2000s 120.62 per million people 373.55 per million people 252.93 per million people South Africa
2010s 241.9 per million people 455.08 per million people 213.18 per million people South Africa
2020s 401.39 per million people 454.8 per million people 53.41 per million people South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of r&d researchers per million people, Pakistan or South Africa?
Pakistan, at 473.72 per million people against 444.16 per million people in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of r&d researchers per million people between Pakistan and South Africa?
29.56 per million people, with Pakistan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Pakistan and South Africa?
10 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2021.
How do Pakistan and South Africa rank globally for number of r&d researchers per million people?
Pakistan ranks 75th and South Africa ranks 76th 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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Pakistan vs South Africa: 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 04 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/researchers-in-rd-per-million-people/pakistan/south-africa/

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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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