France vs United States of America: Researchers per million inhabitants
France
5,369 FTE
in 2023
United States of America
4,937 FTE
in 2022
France rank
20th
United States of America rank
23rd
Researchers per million inhabitants over time
- France
- United States of America
How they compare
France currently reports 5,369 FTE against 4,937 FTE in United States of America, a difference of 432 FTE.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 27 shared years of data; in 1996 it was United States of America ahead.
France ranks 20th and United States of America ranks 23rd of 103 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, France averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,670 FTE | 3,384 FTE | 714.01 FTE | United States of America |
| 2000s | 3,311 FTE | 3,693 FTE | 381.86 FTE | United States of America |
| 2010s | 4,286 FTE | 3,942 FTE | 343.9 FTE | France |
| 2020s | 5,041 FTE | 4,802 FTE | 239.02 FTE | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher researchers per million inhabitants, France or United States of America?
- France, at 5,369 FTE against 4,937 FTE in United States of America as of 2023.
- What is the difference in researchers per million inhabitants between France and United States of America?
- 432 FTE, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United States of America?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2022.
- How do France and United States of America rank globally for researchers per million inhabitants?
- France ranks 20th and United States of America ranks 23rd of 103 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release