Researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia

Estonia: Researchers per million inhabitants was 4,800 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,800 FTE
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
24th
of 103 countries
All-time high
4,800 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
1,903 FTE
in 2000
Years of data
26
1998–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia, 1998–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k1998201020231998: 2.1k FTE1999: 2.1k FTE2000: 1.9k FTE2001: 1.9k FTE2002: 2.2k FTE2003: 2.2k FTE2004: 2.5k FTE2005: 2.5k FTE2006: 2.6k FTE2007: 2.7k FTE2008: 3.0k FTE2009: 3.2k FTE2010: 3.1k FTE2011: 3.4k FTE2012: 3.5k FTE2013: 3.3k FTE2014: 3.3k FTE2015: 3.2k FTE2016: 3.3k FTE2017: 3.6k FTE2018: 3.8k FTE2019: 3.8k FTE2020: 3.8k FTE2021: 4.0k FTE2022: 4.7k FTE2023: 4.8k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

Estonia recorded 4,800 FTE for researchers per million inhabitants in 2023. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 43.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia peaked at 4,800 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,903 FTE, in 2000.

Estonia ranks 24th of 103 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Estonia, 1998 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1998 2,102 FTE
1999 2,135 FTE +1.6%
2000 1,903 FTE -10.9%
2001 1,925 FTE +1.2%
2002 2,211 FTE +14.9%
2003 2,194 FTE -0.8%
2004 2,466 FTE +12.4%
2005 2,451 FTE -0.6%
2006 2,601 FTE +6.1%
2007 2,748 FTE +5.6%
2008 2,973 FTE +8.2%
2009 3,230 FTE +8.6%
2010 3,058 FTE -5.3%
2011 3,393 FTE +11.0%
2012 3,458 FTE +1.9%
2013 3,338 FTE -3.5%
2014 3,286 FTE -1.6%
2015 3,188 FTE -3.0%
2016 3,296 FTE +3.4%
2017 3,552 FTE +7.8%
2018 3,766 FTE +6.0%
2019 3,770 FTE +0.1%
2020 3,836 FTE +1.7%
2021 4,036 FTE +5.2%
2022 4,655 FTE +15.3%
2023 4,800 FTE +3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,119 FTE 2,102 FTE 2,135 FTE 2
2000s 2,470 FTE 1,903 FTE 3,230 FTE 10
2010s 3,411 FTE 3,058 FTE 3,770 FTE 10
2020s 4,332 FTE 3,836 FTE 4,800 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Estonia

  1. 21 Luxembourg 5,359 FTE compare
  2. 22 Greece 5,283 FTE compare
  3. 23 United States of America 4,937 FTE compare
  4. 25 Macau, China 4,634 FTE compare
  5. 26 Australia 4,569 FTE compare
  6. 27 Hungary 4,567 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Estonia

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Estonia was 4,800 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Estonia?
The highest recorded value was 4,800 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Estonia?
The lowest recorded value was 1,903 FTE in 2000.
How does Estonia rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Estonia ranks 24th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Estonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Estonia 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 Estonia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/estonia/

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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