Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in China
China: Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) was 2,107 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising
Researchers per million inhabitants in China, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.
Analysis
The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in China is 2,107 FTE, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 14.0% on the previous year and up 95.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in China peaked at 2,107 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 389.63 FTE, in 1998.
China ranks 45th 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 per million inhabitants (FTE) in China, year by year
| Year | FTE | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 447.1 FTE | — |
| 1997 | 476.21 FTE | +6.5% |
| 1998 | 389.63 FTE | -18.2% |
| 1999 | 422.98 FTE | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 549.58 FTE | +29.9% |
| 2001 | 582.79 FTE | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 631.74 FTE | +8.4% |
| 2003 | 667.93 FTE | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 713.43 FTE | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 856.66 FTE | +20.1% |
| 2006 | 931.2 FTE | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 1,077 FTE | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 1,198 FTE | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 861.25 FTE | -28.1% |
| 2010 | 898.86 FTE | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 972.02 FTE | +8.1% |
| 2012 | 1,029 FTE | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 1,080 FTE | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 1,102 FTE | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 1,163 FTE | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 1,209 FTE | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 1,236 FTE | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 1,317 FTE | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 1,484 FTE | +12.6% |
| 2020 | 1,600 FTE | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 1,686 FTE | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 1,849 FTE | +9.7% |
| 2023 | 2,107 FTE | +14.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2,107 FTE is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 758.01 FTE, 2.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- China's 2,107 FTE is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,338 FTE, 63% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | -28.1% | 1,198 FTE | 861.25 FTE |
| 2000 | +29.9% | 422.98 FTE | 549.58 FTE |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 433.98 FTE | 389.63 FTE | 476.21 FTE | 4 |
| 2000s | 806.89 FTE | 549.58 FTE | 1,198 FTE | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,149 FTE | 898.86 FTE | 1,484 FTE | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,811 FTE | 1,600 FTE | 2,107 FTE | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More science & technology data for China
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 131.75 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.33 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 1.87 billion (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 194.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.73 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 156,053 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 156,053 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is researchers per million inhabitants in China?
- Researchers per million inhabitants in China was 2,107 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2,107 FTE in 2023.
- What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 389.63 FTE in 1998.
- How does China rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
- China ranks 45th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
- Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 95.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release