R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers was 165,975 Persons in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
165,975 Persons
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
6th
of 36 countries
All-time high
165,975 Persons
in 2018
All-time low
86,307 Persons
in 2009
Years of data
14
2005–2018

R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005–2018

050.0k100.0k150.0k2005201120182005: 95.7k Persons2006: 95.8k Persons2007: 91.5k Persons2008: 87.9k Persons2009: 86.3k Persons2010: 90.2k Persons2011: 108.6k Persons2012: 113.5k Persons2013: 123.7k Persons2014: 133.9k Persons2015: 136.4k Persons2016: 141.9k Persons2017: 155.8k Persons2018: 166.0k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 165,975 Persons for r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers in 2018. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.

That represents a change of up 6.5% on the previous year and up 88.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 165,975 Persons in 2018 and was at its lowest, 86,307 Persons, in 2009.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6th out of 36 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2005 to 2018.
Year Persons Change
2005 95,661 Persons
2006 95,789 Persons +0.1%
2007 91,457 Persons -4.5%
2008 87,891 Persons -3.9%
2009 86,307 Persons -1.8%
2010 90,178 Persons +4.5%
2011 108,615 Persons +20.4%
2012 113,509 Persons +4.5%
2013 123,684 Persons +9.0%
2014 133,891 Persons +8.3%
2015 136,397 Persons +1.9%
2016 141,873 Persons +4.0%
2017 155,814 Persons +9.8%
2018 165,975 Persons +6.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 91,421 Persons 86,307 Persons 95,789 Persons 5
2010s 129,993 Persons 90,178 Persons 165,975 Persons 9

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 3 Germany 359,321 Persons compare
  2. 4 France 300,285 Persons compare
  3. 4 Türkiye 158,816 Persons compare
  4. 5 Russian Federation 185,358 Persons compare
  5. 7 Netherlands 115,760 Persons compare
  6. 8 Poland 111,753 Persons compare
  7. 9 Italy 92,980 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More science & technology data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
R&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 165,975 Persons in 2018, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 165,975 Persons in 2018.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 86,307 Persons in 2009.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th out of 36 countries with data for 2018.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance - regions — researchers rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 88.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-regions-researchers/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance - Regions — Researchers
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
42 places, 897 data points, 1995–2024
Last refreshed

This table contains research and development (R&D) personnel statistics in large (TL2) regions. Indicators covered Number of R&D personnel is provided in both headcounts and full-time equivalent on R&D by sex, sector of performance (business enterprise, government, higher education, and private non-profit). Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xls) and the OECD Territorial grid (pdf). Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats Further information Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development Frascati Manual 2015 The interactive web-tool OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas The report OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For any question or comment, please write to RegionStat@oecd.org