Researchers in R&D in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Researchers in R&D was 9,472 per million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
9,472 per million people
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
1st
of 103 countries
All-time high
9,472 per million people
in 2023
All-time low
2,008 per million people
in 1998
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers in R&D in Republic of Korea, 1996–2023

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k1996200920231996: 2.2k per million people1997: 2.2k per million people1998: 2.0k per million people1999: 2.2k per million people2000: 2.3k per million people2001: 2.9k per million people2002: 3.0k per million people2003: 3.2k per million people2004: 3.3k per million people2005: 3.8k per million people2006: 4.2k per million people2007: 4.6k per million people2008: 4.9k per million people2009: 5.0k per million people2010: 5.4k per million people2011: 5.9k per million people2012: 6.4k per million people2013: 6.5k per million people2014: 6.9k per million people2015: 7.0k per million people2016: 7.1k per million people2017: 7.5k per million people2018: 7.9k per million people2019: 8.3k per million people2020: 8.6k per million people2021: 9.1k per million people2022: 9.4k per million people2023: 9.5k 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 Republic of Korea stood at 9,472 per million people. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 46.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers in r&d in Republic of Korea peaked at 9,472 per million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,008 per million people, in 1998.

That places Republic of Korea 1st 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 Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Researchers in R&D (per million people) in Republic of Korea, 1996 to 2023.
Year per million people Change
1996 2,186 per million people
1997 2,242 per million people +2.5%
1998 2,008 per million people -10.4%
1999 2,161 per million people +7.6%
2000 2,324 per million people +7.5%
2001 2,907 per million people +25.1%
2002 3,008 per million people +3.5%
2003 3,190 per million people +6.1%
2004 3,281 per million people +2.9%
2005 3,763 per million people +14.7%
2006 4,173 per million people +10.9%
2007 4,615 per million people +10.6%
2008 4,892 per million people +6.0%
2009 5,038 per million people +3.0%
2010 5,429 per million people +7.8%
2011 5,909 per million people +8.8%
2012 6,393 per million people +8.2%
2013 6,458 per million people +1.0%
2014 6,867 per million people +6.3%
2015 7,020 per million people +2.2%
2016 7,057 per million people +0.5%
2017 7,453 per million people +5.6%
2018 7,918 per million people +6.2%
2019 8,329 per million people +5.2%
2020 8,620 per million people +3.5%
2021 9,071 per million people +5.2%
2022 9,435 per million people +4.0%
2023 9,472 per million people +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,149 per million people 2,008 per million people 2,242 per million people 4
2000s 3,719 per million people 2,324 per million people 5,038 per million people 10
2010s 6,884 per million people 5,429 per million people 8,329 per million people 10
2020s 9,150 per million people 8,620 per million people 9,472 per million people 4

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 2 Sweden 8,911 per million people compare
  2. 3 Denmark 8,838 per million people compare
  3. 4 Singapore 8,782 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More science & technology data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers in r&d in Republic of Korea?
Researchers in r&d in Republic of Korea was 9,472 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 Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 9,472 per million people in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers in r&d recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2,008 per million people in 1998.
How does Republic of Korea rank for researchers in r&d?
Republic of Korea ranks 1st out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers in r&d rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Republic of Korea 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 Republic of Korea. 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/korea-rep/

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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.