Researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium

Belgium: Researchers per million inhabitants was 5,990 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,990 FTE
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
10th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,990 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,477 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium, 1996–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 2.5k FTE1997: 2.6k FTE1998: 2.7k FTE1999: 2.9k FTE2000: 3.0k FTE2001: 3.1k FTE2002: 3.0k FTE2003: 3.0k FTE2004: 3.1k FTE2005: 3.2k FTE2006: 3.3k FTE2007: 3.4k FTE2008: 3.4k FTE2009: 3.6k FTE2010: 3.8k FTE2011: 3.9k FTE2012: 4.1k FTE2013: 4.2k FTE2014: 4.5k FTE2015: 4.7k FTE2016: 4.8k FTE2017: 4.8k FTE2018: 5.0k FTE2019: 5.3k FTE2020: 5.4k FTE2021: 5.8k FTE2022: 5.8k FTE2023: 6.0k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

In 2023, researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium stood at 5,990 FTE. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 43.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium peaked at 5,990 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,477 FTE, in 1996.

That places Belgium 10th 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 per million inhabitants in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Belgium, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,477 FTE
1997 2,582 FTE +4.2%
1998 2,707 FTE +4.8%
1999 2,911 FTE +7.5%
2000 2,983 FTE +2.5%
2001 3,141 FTE +5.3%
2002 2,975 FTE -5.3%
2003 2,985 FTE +0.4%
2004 3,116 FTE +4.4%
2005 3,173 FTE +1.8%
2006 3,318 FTE +4.6%
2007 3,431 FTE +3.4%
2008 3,448 FTE +0.5%
2009 3,555 FTE +3.1%
2010 3,756 FTE +5.7%
2011 3,880 FTE +3.3%
2012 4,117 FTE +6.1%
2013 4,162 FTE +1.1%
2014 4,545 FTE +9.2%
2015 4,732 FTE +4.1%
2016 4,798 FTE +1.4%
2017 4,757 FTE -0.9%
2018 5,040 FTE +5.9%
2019 5,291 FTE +5.0%
2020 5,419 FTE +2.4%
2021 5,771 FTE +6.5%
2022 5,819 FTE +0.8%
2023 5,990 FTE +2.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,669 FTE 2,477 FTE 2,911 FTE 4
2000s 3,212 FTE 2,975 FTE 3,555 FTE 10
2010s 4,508 FTE 3,756 FTE 5,291 FTE 10
2020s 5,750 FTE 5,419 FTE 5,990 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 7 Austria 6,634 FTE compare
  2. 8 Netherlands 6,563 FTE compare
  3. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  4. 11 Portugal 5,983 FTE compare
  5. 12 Iceland 5,953 FTE compare
  6. 13 Germany 5,926 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium was 5,990 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 5,990 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 2,477 FTE in 1996.
How does Belgium rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Belgium ranks 10th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Researchers per million inhabitants in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE)
Unit
FTE
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
153 places, 3,275 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release