Researchers in R&D in Belgium

Belgium: Researchers in R&D was 5,990 per million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,990 per million people
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
10th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,990 per million people
in 2023
All-time low
2,477 per million people
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers in R&D in Belgium, 1996–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 2.5k per million people1997: 2.6k per million people1998: 2.7k per million people1999: 2.9k per million people2000: 3.0k per million people2001: 3.1k per million people2002: 3.0k per million people2003: 3.0k per million people2004: 3.1k per million people2005: 3.2k per million people2006: 3.3k per million people2007: 3.4k per million people2008: 3.4k per million people2009: 3.6k per million people2010: 3.8k per million people2011: 3.9k per million people2012: 4.1k per million people2013: 4.2k per million people2014: 4.5k per million people2015: 4.7k per million people2016: 4.8k per million people2017: 4.8k per million people2018: 5.0k per million people2019: 5.3k per million people2020: 5.4k per million people2021: 5.8k per million people2022: 5.8k per million people2023: 6.0k per million people

Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in per million people.

Analysis

Belgium recorded 5,990 per million people for researchers in r&d in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 43.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers in r&d in Belgium peaked at 5,990 per million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,477 per million people, in 1996.

That places Belgium 10th out of 103 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Researchers in R&D in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Researchers in R&D (per million people) in Belgium, 1996 to 2023.
Year per million people Change
1996 2,477 per million people
1997 2,582 per million people +4.2%
1998 2,707 per million people +4.8%
1999 2,911 per million people +7.5%
2000 2,983 per million people +2.5%
2001 3,141 per million people +5.3%
2002 2,975 per million people -5.3%
2003 2,985 per million people +0.4%
2004 3,116 per million people +4.4%
2005 3,173 per million people +1.8%
2006 3,318 per million people +4.6%
2007 3,431 per million people +3.4%
2008 3,448 per million people +0.5%
2009 3,555 per million people +3.1%
2010 3,756 per million people +5.7%
2011 3,880 per million people +3.3%
2012 4,117 per million people +6.1%
2013 4,162 per million people +1.1%
2014 4,545 per million people +9.2%
2015 4,732 per million people +4.1%
2016 4,798 per million people +1.4%
2017 4,757 per million people -0.9%
2018 5,040 per million people +5.9%
2019 5,291 per million people +5.0%
2020 5,419 per million people +2.4%
2021 5,771 per million people +6.5%
2022 5,819 per million people +0.8%
2023 5,990 per million people +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,669 per million people 2,477 per million people 2,911 per million people 4
2000s 3,212 per million people 2,975 per million people 3,555 per million people 10
2010s 4,508 per million people 3,756 per million people 5,291 per million people 10
2020s 5,750 per million people 5,419 per million people 5,990 per million people 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 7 Austria 6,634 per million people compare
  2. 8 Netherlands 6,563 per million people compare
  3. 9 Switzerland 6,108 per million people compare
  4. 11 Portugal 5,983 per million people compare
  5. 12 Iceland 5,953 per million people compare
  6. 13 Germany 5,926 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More science & technology data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers in r&d in Belgium?
Researchers in r&d in Belgium was 5,990 per million people in 2023, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest researchers in r&d recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 5,990 per million people in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers in r&d recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 2,477 per million people in 1996.
How does Belgium rank for researchers in r&d?
Belgium ranks 10th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers in r&d rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Researchers in R&D (per million people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Researchers in R&D in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Researchers in R&D (per million people)
Unit
per million people
Source
Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
128 places, 2,361 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.