Japan vs WB: World: Researchers per million inhabitants
Japan
5,609 FTE
in 2023
WB: World
1,486 FTE
in 2023
Japan rank
18th
WB: World rank
17th
Researchers per million inhabitants over time
- Japan
- WB: World
How they compare
Japan currently reports 5,609 FTE against 1,486 FTE in WB: World, a difference of 4,123 FTE.
That makes Japan's figure about 3.8 times WB: World's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 18th and WB: World ranks 17th of 103 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | WB: World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,058 FTE | 783.31 FTE | 4,274 FTE | Japan |
| 2000s | 5,162 FTE | 895.29 FTE | 4,267 FTE | Japan |
| 2010s | 5,227 FTE | 1,137 FTE | 4,090 FTE | Japan |
| 2020s | 5,570 FTE | 1,412 FTE | 4,157 FTE | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher researchers per million inhabitants, Japan or WB: World?
- Japan, at 5,609 FTE against 1,486 FTE in WB: World as of 2023.
- What is the difference in researchers per million inhabitants between Japan and WB: World?
- 4,123 FTE, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and WB: World?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do Japan and WB: World rank globally for researchers per million inhabitants?
- Japan ranks 18th and WB: World ranks 17th 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