Researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020): Researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), 2003–2023
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Head count.
Analysis
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) recorded 3.18 million Head count for researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship and sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship 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)
- 1 Japan 989,223 Head count compare
- 2 Germany 742,803 Head count compare
- 3 South Korea 603,566 Head count compare
- 3 South Korea 603,566 Head count compare
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, country of citizenship and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
- Researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship and sex?
- European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 1st out of 3 regions with data for 2023.
- Is researchers by sector of performance, country of citizenship 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, country of citizenship 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).