R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)
Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026): R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex was 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Change on year
up 2.2%
Rank
3rd
of 4 regions
All-time high
2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2024
All-time low
1.13 million Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2024
R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026), 1990–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Full-time equivalent (FTE).
Analysis
In 2024, r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) stood at 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE). That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 39.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) peaked at 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.13 million Full-time equivalent (FTE), in 1990.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026), year by year
| Year | Full-time equivalent (FTE) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.13 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | — |
| 1991 | 1.28 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +13.6% |
| 1992 | 1.18 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 1.28 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +8.0% |
| 1995 | 1.29 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 1.32 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 1.31 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 1.35 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 1.39 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 1.46 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 1.48 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.50 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 1.51 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 1.55 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.58 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.66 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +5.1% |
| 2007 | 1.72 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 1.80 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.82 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 1.87 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 1.92 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 1.96 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.99 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 2.02 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.09 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 2.16 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 2.26 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 2.36 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 2.44 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 2.46 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 2.56 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 2.65 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 2.76 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.28 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 1.13 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 1.39 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.61 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 1.46 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 1.82 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.11 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 1.87 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 2.44 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.65 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 2.46 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) | 5 |
Countries ranked near Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)
- 1 Japan 927,402 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
- 2 Germany 839,700 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
- 3 Russian Federation 753,796 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
- 3 Russia 753,796 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
- 5 Korea 610,824 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
- 5 South Korea 610,824 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
More science & technology data for Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 104,096 Thousand persons (2025)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, NUTS 1 104,096 Thousand persons (2025)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, NUTS 1 104,096 Thousand persons (2025)
- R&D personnel and researchers by sector of performance, sex and NUTS 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) (2024)
- GERD by sector of performance and type of R&D 349,415 Million euro (2024)
- GERD by sector of performance and fields of R&D 349,415 Million euro (2024)
- Electricity production capacities for combustible fuels by technology 80,601 Megawatt (2024)
- R&D personnel and researchers by sector of performance, fields of R&D 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) (2024)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category, sex and 104,096 Thousand persons (2025)
- Researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship and sex 2.57 million Head count (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)?
- R&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) was 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex recorded in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.81 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024.
- What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex recorded in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.13 million Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 1990.
- How does Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex?
- Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) ranks 3rd out of 4 regions with data for 2024.
- Is r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex rising or falling in Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Euro area – 21 countries (from 2026) data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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