Spain vs United Kingdom: Number of R&D researchers per million people
Spain
3,654 per million people
in 2023
United Kingdom
4,473 per million people
in 2017
Spain rank
32nd
United Kingdom rank
29th
Number of R&D researchers per million people over time
- Spain
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 4,473 per million people against 3,654 per million people in Spain, a difference of 819 per million people.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times Spain's.
Across all 22 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.
Spain ranks 32nd and United Kingdom ranks 29th of 103 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,405 per million people | 2,632 per million people | 1,227 per million people | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 2,396 per million people | 3,736 per million people | 1,340 per million people | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 2,721 per million people | 4,229 per million people | 1,508 per million people | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of r&d researchers per million people, Spain or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 4,473 per million people against 3,654 per million people in Spain as of 2017.
- What is the difference in number of r&d researchers per million people between Spain and United Kingdom?
- 819 per million people, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2017.
- How do Spain and United Kingdom rank globally for number of r&d researchers per million people?
- Spain ranks 32nd and United Kingdom ranks 29th 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.