Number of R&D researchers per million people in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Number of R&D researchers per million people was 5,874 per million people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
5,874 per million people
Change on year
up 11.4%
World rank
14th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,874 per million people
in 2024
All-time low
1,054 per million people
in 1998
Years of data
27
1998–2024

Number of R&D researchers per million people in Hong Kong, 1998–2024

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k1998201120241998: 1.1k per million people1999: 1.2k per million people2000: 1.2k per million people2001: 1.4k per million people2002: 1.6k per million people2003: 2.0k per million people2004: 2.1k per million people2005: 2.6k per million people2006: 2.6k per million people2007: 2.8k per million people2008: 2.6k per million people2009: 2.7k per million people2010: 3.1k per million people2011: 3.0k per million people2012: 3.1k per million people2013: 3.3k per million people2014: 3.5k per million people2015: 3.5k per million people2016: 3.7k per million people2017: 3.7k per million people2018: 4.0k per million people2019: 4.2k per million people2020: 4.4k per million people2021: 4.6k per million people2022: 4.8k per million people2023: 5.3k per million people2024: 5.9k per million people

Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per million people.

Analysis

Hong Kong recorded 5,874 per million people for number of r&d researchers per million people in 2024. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 11.4% on the previous year and up 67.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of r&d researchers per million people in Hong Kong peaked at 5,874 per million people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,054 per million people, in 1998.

Hong Kong ranks 14th of 103 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Number of R&D researchers per million people in Hong Kong, year by year

Annual values for Number of R&D researchers per million people in Hong Kong, 1998 to 2024.
Year per million people Change
1998 1,054 per million people
1999 1,206 per million people +14.4%
2000 1,160 per million people -3.8%
2001 1,356 per million people +16.9%
2002 1,564 per million people +15.4%
2003 1,973 per million people +26.1%
2004 2,122 per million people +7.6%
2005 2,612 per million people +23.1%
2006 2,649 per million people +1.4%
2007 2,815 per million people +6.3%
2008 2,637 per million people -6.3%
2009 2,737 per million people +3.8%
2010 3,063 per million people +11.9%
2011 3,037 per million people -0.8%
2012 3,138 per million people +3.3%
2013 3,310 per million people +5.5%
2014 3,513 per million people +6.1%
2015 3,488 per million people -0.7%
2016 3,668 per million people +5.2%
2017 3,720 per million people +1.4%
2018 3,978 per million people +6.9%
2019 4,240 per million people +6.6%
2020 4,356 per million people +2.7%
2021 4,592 per million people +5.4%
2022 4,815 per million people +4.9%
2023 5,274 per million people +9.5%
2024 5,874 per million people +11.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,130 per million people 1,054 per million people 1,206 per million people 2
2000s 2,163 per million people 1,160 per million people 2,815 per million people 10
2010s 3,515 per million people 3,037 per million people 4,240 per million people 10
2020s 4,982 per million people 4,356 per million people 5,874 per million people 5

Countries ranked near Hong Kong

  1. 11 Portugal 5,983 per million people compare
  2. 12 Iceland 5,953 per million people compare
  3. 13 Germany 5,926 per million people compare
  4. 15 Ireland 5,753 per million people compare
  5. 16 Canada 5,624 per million people compare
  6. 17 Slovenia 5,616 per million people compare

See the full ranking of 103 places →

More science & technology data for Hong Kong

All data for Hong Kong →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of r&d researchers per million people in Hong Kong?
Number of r&d researchers per million people in Hong Kong was 5,874 per million people in 2024, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of r&d researchers per million people recorded in Hong Kong?
The highest recorded value was 5,874 per million people in 2024.
What is the lowest number of r&d researchers per million people recorded in Hong Kong?
The lowest recorded value was 1,054 per million people in 1998.
How does Hong Kong rank for number of r&d researchers per million people?
Hong Kong ranks 14th out of 103 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of r&d researchers per million people rising or falling in Hong Kong?
Over the last ten years it is up 67.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of R&D researchers per million people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of R&D researchers per million people in Hong Kong. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-in-rd-per-million-people/hong-kong-sar-china/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of R&D researchers per million people
Unit
per million people
Source
UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
103 places, 1,875 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

Professionals engaged in conceiving or creating new knowledge, products, processes, methods, or systems.