South Korea vs UIS: North America and Western Europe: Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE)
South Korea
9,472 FTE
in 2023
UIS: North America and Western Europe
5,119 FTE
in 2023
South Korea rank
1st
UIS: North America and Western Europe rank
2nd
Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) over time
- South Korea
- UIS: North America and Western Europe
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 9,472 FTE against 5,119 FTE in UIS: North America and Western Europe, a difference of 4,353 FTE.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.9 times UIS: North America and Western Europe's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was UIS: North America and Western Europe ahead.
South Korea ranks 1st and UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 2nd of 103 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and UIS: North America and Western Europe in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | UIS: North America and Western Europe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,149 FTE | 2,848 FTE | 699.03 FTE | UIS: North America and Western Europe |
| 2000s | 3,719 FTE | 3,401 FTE | 318.02 FTE | South Korea |
| 2010s | 6,884 FTE | 4,066 FTE | 2,818 FTE | South Korea |
| 2020s | 9,150 FTE | 4,943 FTE | 4,206 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 UIS: North America and Western Europe?
- South Korea, at 9,472 FTE against 5,119 FTE in UIS: North America and Western Europe as of 2023.
- What is the difference in researchers per million inhabitants between South Korea and UIS: North America and Western Europe?
- 4,353 FTE, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and UIS: North America and Western Europe?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do South Korea and UIS: North America and Western Europe rank globally for researchers per million inhabitants?
- South Korea ranks 1st and UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 2nd 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