Researchers in R&D in Spain

Spain: Researchers in R&D was 3,654 per million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3,654 per million people
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
32nd
of 103 countries
All-time high
3,654 per million people
in 2023
All-time low
1,286 per million people
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers in R&D in Spain, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 1.3k per million people1997: 1.3k per million people1998: 1.5k per million people1999: 1.5k per million people2000: 1.9k per million people2001: 1.9k per million people2002: 2.0k per million people2003: 2.2k per million people2004: 2.4k per million people2005: 2.5k per million people2006: 2.6k per million people2007: 2.7k per million people2008: 2.9k per million people2009: 2.9k per million people2010: 2.9k per million people2011: 2.8k per million people2012: 2.7k per million people2013: 2.6k per million people2014: 2.6k per million people2015: 2.6k per million people2016: 2.7k per million people2017: 2.8k per million people2018: 3.0k per million people2019: 3.0k per million people2020: 3.1k per million people2021: 3.2k 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 Spain stood at 3,654 per million people. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers in r&d in Spain peaked at 3,654 per million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,286 per million people, in 1996.

Spain ranks 32nd of 103 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Researchers in R&D in Spain, year by year

Annual values for Researchers in R&D (per million people) in Spain, 1996 to 2023.
Year per million people Change
1996 1,286 per million people
1997 1,336 per million people +3.9%
1998 1,487 per million people +11.3%
1999 1,512 per million people +1.7%
2000 1,874 per million people +23.9%
2001 1,947 per million people +3.9%
2002 2,014 per million people +3.5%
2003 2,195 per million people +9.0%
2004 2,356 per million people +7.3%
2005 2,516 per million people +6.8%
2006 2,613 per million people +3.9%
2007 2,720 per million people +4.1%
2008 2,850 per million people +4.8%
2009 2,877 per million people +0.9%
2010 2,880 per million people +0.1%
2011 2,775 per million people -3.6%
2012 2,693 per million people -3.0%
2013 2,624 per million people -2.6%
2014 2,614 per million people -0.4%
2015 2,623 per million people +0.3%
2016 2,713 per million people +3.4%
2017 2,847 per million people +5.0%
2018 2,984 per million people +4.8%
2019 3,048 per million people +2.1%
2020 3,052 per million people +0.1%
2021 3,230 per million people +5.8%
2022 3,388 per million people +4.9%
2023 3,654 per million people +7.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,405 per million people 1,286 per million people 1,512 per million people 4
2000s 2,396 per million people 1,874 per million people 2,877 per million people 10
2010s 2,780 per million people 2,614 per million people 3,048 per million people 10
2020s 3,331 per million people 3,052 per million people 3,654 per million people 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 29 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4,473 per million people compare
  2. 30 Lithuania 3,704 per million people compare
  3. 31 Poland 3,675 per million people compare
  4. 33 Slovakia 3,507 per million people compare
  5. 34 Italy 2,855 per million people compare
  6. 35 Serbia 2,688 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More science & technology data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers in r&d in Spain?
Researchers in r&d in Spain was 3,654 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 Spain?
The highest recorded value was 3,654 per million people in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers in r&d recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 1,286 per million people in 1996.
How does Spain rank for researchers in r&d?
Spain ranks 32nd out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers in r&d rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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 Spain. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-in-r-and-d-per-million-people/spain/

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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.