Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020): Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS was 128,217 Thousand persons in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
128,217 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 2.2%
Rank
1st
of 437 regions
All-time high
128,217 Thousand persons
in 2025
All-time low
73,097 Thousand persons
in 2002
Years of data
24
2002–2025
Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), 2002–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.
Analysis
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) recorded 128,217 Thousand persons for human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts in 2025. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) peaked at 128,217 Thousand persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 73,097 Thousand persons, in 2002.
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 1st of 437 regions on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), year by year
| Year | Thousand persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 73,097 Thousand persons | — |
| 2003 | 75,678 Thousand persons | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 78,724 Thousand persons | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 81,851 Thousand persons | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 84,017 Thousand persons | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 86,350 Thousand persons | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 88,952 Thousand persons | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 90,796 Thousand persons | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 91,975 Thousand persons | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 94,012 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 96,745 Thousand persons | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 98,881 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 101,339 Thousand persons | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 103,445 Thousand persons | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 105,609 Thousand persons | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 107,947 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 110,315 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 113,120 Thousand persons | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 115,627 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 117,400 Thousand persons | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 119,616 Thousand persons | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 122,551 Thousand persons | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 125,446 Thousand persons | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 128,217 Thousand persons | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 82,433 Thousand persons | 73,097 Thousand persons | 90,796 Thousand persons | 8 |
| 2010s | 102,339 Thousand persons | 91,975 Thousand persons | 113,120 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 121,476 Thousand persons | 115,627 Thousand persons | 128,217 Thousand persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
- 1 Germany 26,845 Thousand persons compare
- 2 United Kingdom 21,623 Thousand persons compare
- 2 United Kingdom 21,623 Thousand persons compare
- 4 France 21,189 Thousand persons compare
More science & technology data for European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, NUTS 1 128,217 Thousand persons (2025)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, NUTS 1 128,217 Thousand persons (2025)
- R&D personnel and researchers by sector of performance, sex and NUTS 3.39 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) (2024)
- GERD by sector of performance and fields of R&D 403,270 Million euro (2024)
- GERD by sector of performance and type of R&D 403,270 Million euro (2024)
- Electricity production capacities for combustible fuels by technology 128,641 Megawatt (2024)
- R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex 3.39 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) (2024)
- R&D personnel and researchers by sector of performance, fields of R&D 3.39 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) (2024)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, sex and 128,217 Thousand persons (2025)
- Patent applications to the EPO by priority year 49,212 Number (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- Human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) was 128,217 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- The highest recorded value was 128,217 Thousand persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- The lowest recorded value was 73,097 Thousand persons in 2002.
- How does European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) rank for human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts?
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 1st out of 437 regions with data for 2025.
- Is human resources in science and technology (hrst) by category and nuts rising or falling in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 2 region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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