Researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland

Ireland: Researchers per million inhabitants was 5,753 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,753 FTE
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
15th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,753 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
1,772 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland, 1996–2023

2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 1.8k FTE1997: 1.9k FTE1998: 2.1k FTE1999: 2.1k FTE2000: 2.3k FTE2001: 2.3k FTE2002: 2.4k FTE2003: 2.5k FTE2004: 2.7k FTE2005: 2.8k FTE2006: 2.9k FTE2007: 2.9k FTE2008: 3.3k FTE2009: 3.1k FTE2010: 3.1k FTE2011: 3.3k FTE2012: 4.9k FTE2013: 5.1k FTE2014: 5.3k FTE2015: 5.2k FTE2016: 5.1k FTE2017: 5.1k FTE2018: 4.7k FTE2019: 5.0k FTE2020: 5.2k FTE2021: 5.2k FTE2022: 5.6k FTE2023: 5.8k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 5,753 FTE for researchers per million inhabitants in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland peaked at 5,753 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,772 FTE, in 1996.

That places Ireland 15th out of 103 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Ireland, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 1,772 FTE
1997 1,929 FTE +8.9%
1998 2,091 FTE +8.4%
1999 2,111 FTE +1.0%
2000 2,256 FTE +6.8%
2001 2,337 FTE +3.6%
2002 2,406 FTE +3.0%
2003 2,535 FTE +5.3%
2004 2,735 FTE +7.9%
2005 2,821 FTE +3.1%
2006 2,896 FTE +2.6%
2007 2,929 FTE +1.2%
2008 3,257 FTE +11.2%
2009 3,140 FTE -3.6%
2010 3,117 FTE -0.7%
2011 3,341 FTE +7.2%
2012 4,874 FTE +45.9%
2013 5,142 FTE +5.5%
2014 5,291 FTE +2.9%
2015 5,242 FTE -0.9%
2016 5,144 FTE -1.9%
2017 5,114 FTE -0.6%
2018 4,657 FTE -8.9%
2019 4,961 FTE +6.5%
2020 5,196 FTE +4.7%
2021 5,213 FTE +0.3%
2022 5,555 FTE +6.6%
2023 5,753 FTE +3.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,976 FTE 1,772 FTE 2,111 FTE 4
2000s 2,731 FTE 2,256 FTE 3,257 FTE 10
2010s 4,688 FTE 3,117 FTE 5,291 FTE 10
2020s 5,429 FTE 5,196 FTE 5,753 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 12 Iceland 5,953 FTE compare
  2. 13 Germany 5,926 FTE compare
  3. 14 Hong Kong, China 5,874 FTE compare
  4. 16 Canada 5,624 FTE compare
  5. 17 Slovenia 5,616 FTE compare
  6. 18 Japan 5,609 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Ireland was 5,753 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5,753 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1,772 FTE in 1996.
How does Ireland rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Ireland ranks 15th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/ireland/

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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