Researchers in R&D in Ireland

Ireland: Researchers in R&D was 5,753 per million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,753 per million people
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
15th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,753 per million people
in 2023
All-time low
1,772 per million people
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers in R&D in Ireland, 1996–2023

2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 1.8k per million people1997: 1.9k per million people1998: 2.1k per million people1999: 2.1k per million people2000: 2.3k per million people2001: 2.3k per million people2002: 2.4k per million people2003: 2.5k per million people2004: 2.7k per million people2005: 2.8k per million people2006: 2.9k per million people2007: 2.9k per million people2008: 3.3k per million people2009: 3.1k per million people2010: 3.1k per million people2011: 3.3k per million people2012: 4.9k per million people2013: 5.1k per million people2014: 5.3k per million people2015: 5.2k per million people2016: 5.1k per million people2017: 5.1k per million people2018: 4.7k per million people2019: 5.0k per million people2020: 5.2k per million people2021: 5.2k per million people2022: 5.6k per million people2023: 5.8k per million people

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

Analysis

Ireland recorded 5,753 per million people for researchers in r&d in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers in r&d in Ireland peaked at 5,753 per million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,772 per million people, in 1996.

That places Ireland 15th out of 103 countries 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 Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Researchers in R&D (per million people) in Ireland, 1996 to 2023.
Year per million people Change
1996 1,772 per million people
1997 1,929 per million people +8.9%
1998 2,091 per million people +8.4%
1999 2,111 per million people +1.0%
2000 2,256 per million people +6.8%
2001 2,337 per million people +3.6%
2002 2,406 per million people +3.0%
2003 2,535 per million people +5.3%
2004 2,735 per million people +7.9%
2005 2,821 per million people +3.1%
2006 2,896 per million people +2.6%
2007 2,929 per million people +1.2%
2008 3,257 per million people +11.2%
2009 3,140 per million people -3.6%
2010 3,117 per million people -0.7%
2011 3,341 per million people +7.2%
2012 4,874 per million people +45.9%
2013 5,142 per million people +5.5%
2014 5,291 per million people +2.9%
2015 5,242 per million people -0.9%
2016 5,144 per million people -1.9%
2017 5,114 per million people -0.6%
2018 4,657 per million people -8.9%
2019 4,961 per million people +6.5%
2020 5,196 per million people +4.7%
2021 5,213 per million people +0.3%
2022 5,555 per million people +6.6%
2023 5,753 per million people +3.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,976 per million people 1,772 per million people 2,111 per million people 4
2000s 2,731 per million people 2,256 per million people 3,257 per million people 10
2010s 4,688 per million people 3,117 per million people 5,291 per million people 10
2020s 5,429 per million people 5,196 per million people 5,753 per million people 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 12 Iceland 5,953 per million people compare
  2. 13 Germany 5,926 per million people compare
  3. 14 Hong Kong 5,874 per million people compare
  4. 16 Canada 5,624 per million people compare
  5. 17 Slovenia 5,616 per million people compare
  6. 18 Japan 5,609 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More science & technology data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers in r&d in Ireland?
Researchers in r&d in Ireland was 5,753 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 Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5,753 per million people in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers in r&d recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,772 per million people in 1996.
How does Ireland rank for researchers in r&d?
Ireland ranks 15th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers in r&d rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/ireland/

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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.