Researchers in R&D in Europe & Central Asia

Europe & Central Asia: Researchers in R&D was 3,715 per million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3,715 per million people
Change on year
up 8.0%
Rank
7th
of 25 groups
All-time high
3,715 per million people
in 2023
All-time low
2,173 per million people
in 1998
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers in R&D in Europe & Central Asia, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 2.3k per million people1997: 2.2k per million people1998: 2.2k per million people1999: 2.3k per million people2000: 2.3k per million people2001: 2.3k per million people2002: 2.3k per million people2003: 2.4k per million people2004: 2.5k per million people2005: 2.6k per million people2006: 2.6k per million people2007: 2.6k per million people2008: 2.6k per million people2009: 2.7k per million people2010: 2.7k per million people2011: 2.7k per million people2012: 2.8k per million people2013: 2.8k per million people2014: 2.9k per million people2015: 3.0k per million people2016: 3.0k per million people2017: 3.1k per million people2018: 3.1k per million people2019: 3.2k per million people2020: 3.2k per million people2021: 3.3k per million people2022: 3.4k per million people2023: 3.7k per million people

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

Analysis

In 2023, researchers in r&d in Europe & Central Asia stood at 3,715 per million people. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 8.0% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers in r&d in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 3,715 per million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,173 per million people, in 1998.

That places Europe & Central Asia 7th out of 25 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Researchers in R&D in Europe & Central Asia, year by year

Annual values for Researchers in R&D (per million people) in Europe & Central Asia, 1996 to 2023.
Year per million people Change
1996 2,274 per million people
1997 2,234 per million people -1.8%
1998 2,173 per million people -2.7%
1999 2,271 per million people +4.5%
2000 2,257 per million people -0.6%
2001 2,331 per million people +3.3%
2002 2,340 per million people +0.4%
2003 2,399 per million people +2.5%
2004 2,518 per million people +5.0%
2005 2,570 per million people +2.1%
2006 2,561 per million people -0.3%
2007 2,561 per million people -0.0%
2008 2,632 per million people +2.7%
2009 2,653 per million people +0.8%
2010 2,706 per million people +2.0%
2011 2,732 per million people +1.0%
2012 2,809 per million people +2.8%
2013 2,846 per million people +1.3%
2014 2,884 per million people +1.3%
2015 2,992 per million people +3.7%
2016 3,012 per million people +0.6%
2017 3,129 per million people +3.9%
2018 3,093 per million people -1.1%
2019 3,181 per million people +2.8%
2020 3,191 per million people +0.3%
2021 3,323 per million people +4.1%
2022 3,440 per million people +3.5%
2023 3,715 per million people +8.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,238 per million people 2,173 per million people 2,274 per million people 4
2000s 2,482 per million people 2,257 per million people 2,653 per million people 10
2010s 2,939 per million people 2,706 per million people 3,181 per million people 10
2020s 3,417 per million people 3,191 per million people 3,715 per million people 4

Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia

  1. 4 Singapore 8,782 per million people compare
  2. 5 Finland 8,315 per million people compare
  3. 6 Norway 7,451 per million people compare
  4. 7 Austria 6,634 per million people compare
  5. 8 Netherlands 6,563 per million people compare
  6. 9 Switzerland 6,108 per million people compare
  7. 10 Belgium 5,990 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More science & technology data for Europe & Central Asia

All data for Europe & Central Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers in r&d in Europe & Central Asia?
Researchers in r&d in Europe & Central Asia was 3,715 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 Europe & Central Asia?
The highest recorded value was 3,715 per million people in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers in r&d recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 2,173 per million people in 1998.
How does Europe & Central Asia rank for researchers in r&d?
Europe & Central Asia ranks 7th out of 25 groups with data for 2023.
Is researchers in r&d rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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 Europe & Central Asia. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/europe-and-central-asia/

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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.