R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland

Ireland: R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex was 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
28th
of 50 countries
All-time high
45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 2024
All-time low
4,953 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
in 1981
Years of data
44
1981–2024

R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland, 1981–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k1981200220241981: 5.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1982: 5.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1983: 5.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1984: 5.2k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1985: 5.3k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1986: 5.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1987: 5.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1988: 5.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1989: 6.3k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1990: 6.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1991: 8.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1992: 8.5k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1993: 7.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1994: 8.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1995: 9.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1996: 10.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1997: 10.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1998: 11.6k Full-time equivalent (FTE)1999: 11.9k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2000: 12.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2001: 13.3k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2002: 13.6k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2003: 14.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2004: 15.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2005: 16.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2006: 17.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2007: 18.2k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2008: 20.0k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2009: 19.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2010: 19.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2011: 21.6k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2012: 29.3k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2013: 31.9k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2014: 33.5k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2015: 32.1k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2016: 34.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2017: 33.8k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2018: 31.1k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2019: 32.9k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2020: 34.5k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2021: 38.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2022: 40.4k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2023: 43.7k Full-time equivalent (FTE)2024: 45.3k Full-time equivalent (FTE)

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Full-time equivalent (FTE).

Analysis

The most recent figure for r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland is 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE), measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 35.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland peaked at 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024 and was at its lowest, 4,953 Full-time equivalent (FTE), in 1981.

That places Ireland 28th out of 50 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland, 1981 to 2024.
Year Full-time equivalent (FTE) Change
1981 4,953 Full-time equivalent (FTE)
1982 4,960 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +0.1%
1983 5,050 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +1.8%
1984 5,230 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +3.6%
1985 5,341 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +2.1%
1986 5,448 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +2.0%
1987 5,704 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +4.7%
1988 5,827 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +2.2%
1989 6,328 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.6%
1990 6,846 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.2%
1991 8,002 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +16.9%
1992 8,488 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +6.1%
1993 7,837 Full-time equivalent (FTE) -7.7%
1994 8,654 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +10.4%
1995 9,662 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +11.6%
1996 9,999 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +3.5%
1997 10,826 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.3%
1998 11,613 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +7.3%
1999 11,929 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +2.7%
2000 12,762 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +7.0%
2001 13,317 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +4.3%
2002 13,582 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +2.0%
2003 14,450 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +6.4%
2004 15,713 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.7%
2005 16,690 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +6.2%
2006 17,444 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +4.5%
2007 18,157 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +4.1%
2008 20,018 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +10.2%
2009 19,705 Full-time equivalent (FTE) -1.6%
2010 19,722 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +0.1%
2011 21,591 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +9.5%
2012 29,284 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +35.6%
2013 31,870 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.8%
2014 33,494 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +5.1%
2015 32,052 Full-time equivalent (FTE) -4.3%
2016 34,374 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +7.2%
2017 33,803 Full-time equivalent (FTE) -1.7%
2018 31,126 Full-time equivalent (FTE) -7.9%
2019 32,929 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +5.8%
2020 34,543 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +4.9%
2021 38,444 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +11.3%
2022 40,393 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +5.1%
2023 43,714 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +8.2%
2024 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE) +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5,427 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 4,953 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 6,328 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 9
1990s 9,386 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 6,846 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 11,929 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 10
2000s 16,184 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 12,762 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 20,018 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 10
2010s 30,024 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 19,722 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 34,374 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 10
2020s 40,470 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 34,543 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE) 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 25 Finland 62,431 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
  2. 26 Hungary 59,464 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
  3. 27 Norway 52,434 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
  4. 29 Romania 36,828 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
  5. 30 Serbia 28,333 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare
  6. 31 Bulgaria 26,472 Full-time equivalent (FTE) compare

See the full ranking of 54 places →

More science & technology data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland?
R&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland was 45,254 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 45,254 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2024.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 4,953 Full-time equivalent (FTE) in 1981.
How does Ireland rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex?
Ireland ranks 28th out of 50 countries with data for 2024.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ireland 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-professional-position-and-sex/ireland/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-professional-position-and-sex/ireland/">R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex in Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance, professional position and sex
Unit
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
54 places, 1,706 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed