South Korea vs Singapore: Researchers per million inhabitants
South Korea
9,472 FTE
in 2023
Singapore
8,782 FTE
in 2022
South Korea rank
1st
Singapore rank
4th
Researchers per million inhabitants over time
- South Korea
- Singapore
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 9,472 FTE against 8,782 FTE in Singapore, a difference of 690 FTE.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Singapore's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Singapore ahead.
South Korea ranks 1st and Singapore ranks 4th of 103 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Singapore in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,149 FTE | 2,820 FTE | 670.79 FTE | Singapore |
| 2000s | 3,719 FTE | 5,229 FTE | 1,510 FTE | Singapore |
| 2010s | 6,884 FTE | 6,860 FTE | 23.28 FTE | South Korea |
| 2020s | 9,042 FTE | 8,080 FTE | 961.58 FTE | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher researchers per million inhabitants, South Korea or Singapore?
- South Korea, at 9,472 FTE against 8,782 FTE in Singapore as of 2023.
- What is the difference in researchers per million inhabitants between South Korea and Singapore?
- 690 FTE, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Singapore?
- 27 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2022.
- How do South Korea and Singapore rank globally for researchers per million inhabitants?
- South Korea ranks 1st and Singapore ranks 4th 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