France vs United States: Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE)
France
5,369 FTE
in 2023
United States
4,937 FTE
in 2022
France rank
20th
United States rank
23rd
Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) over time
- France
- United States
How they compare
France currently reports 5,369 FTE against 4,937 FTE in United States, a difference of 432 FTE.
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 FTE | 3,384 FTE | 714.01 FTE | United States |
| 2000s | 3,311 FTE | 3,693 FTE | 381.86 FTE | United States |
| 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?
- France, at 5,369 FTE against 4,937 FTE in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in researchers per million inhabitants between France and United States?
- 432 FTE, 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 researchers per million inhabitants?
- France ranks 20th and United States 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