Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020): Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex was 3.18 million Head count in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
3.18 million Head count
Change on year
up 6.4%
Rank
1st
of 3 regions
All-time high
3.18 million Head count
in 2023
All-time low
1.53 million Head count
in 2003
Years of data
11
2003–2023
Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), 2003–2023
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Head count.
Analysis
In 2023, researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) stood at 3.18 million Head count. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) peaked at 3.18 million Head count in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.53 million Head count, in 2003.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), year by year
| Year | Head count | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1.53 million Head count | — |
| 2005 | 1.66 million Head count | +8.0% |
| 2007 | 1.79 million Head count | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 1.95 million Head count | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 2.10 million Head count | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 2.25 million Head count | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 2.38 million Head count | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 2.59 million Head count | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 2.80 million Head count | +8.2% |
| 2021 | 2.99 million Head count | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 3.18 million Head count | +6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.73 million Head count | 1.53 million Head count | 1.95 million Head count | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.42 million Head count | 2.10 million Head count | 2.80 million Head count | 5 |
| 2020s | 3.08 million Head count | 2.99 million Head count | 3.18 million Head count | 2 |
Countries ranked near European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
More science & technology data for European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 128,217 Thousand persons (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) was 3.18 million Head count in 2023, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- The highest recorded value was 3.18 million Head count in 2023.
- What is the lowest researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.53 million Head count in 2003.
- How does European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) rank for researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex?
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 1st out of 3 regions with data for 2023.
- Is researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex rising or falling in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.1%. 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 Researchers by sector of performance, age class and sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).