Researchers per million inhabitants in Italy

Italy: Researchers per million inhabitants was 2,855 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2,855 FTE
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
34th
of 103 countries
All-time high
2,855 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
1,138 FTE
in 1999
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Italy, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k1996200920231996: 1.3k FTE1997: 1.1k FTE1998: 1.1k FTE1999: 1.1k FTE2000: 1.2k FTE2001: 1.2k FTE2002: 1.2k FTE2003: 1.2k FTE2004: 1.2k FTE2005: 1.4k FTE2006: 1.5k FTE2007: 1.6k FTE2008: 1.6k FTE2009: 1.7k FTE2010: 1.7k FTE2011: 1.8k FTE2012: 1.8k FTE2013: 1.9k FTE2014: 1.9k FTE2015: 2.1k FTE2016: 2.2k FTE2017: 2.3k FTE2018: 2.5k FTE2019: 2.7k FTE2020: 2.6k FTE2021: 2.7k FTE2022: 2.8k FTE2023: 2.9k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

Italy recorded 2,855 FTE for researchers per million inhabitants in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 49.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Italy peaked at 2,855 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,138 FTE, in 1999.

That places Italy 34th out of 103 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Italy, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 1,338 FTE
1997 1,149 FTE -14.1%
1998 1,143 FTE -0.6%
1999 1,138 FTE -0.4%
2000 1,155 FTE +1.5%
2001 1,164 FTE +0.8%
2002 1,243 FTE +6.8%
2003 1,223 FTE -1.6%
2004 1,242 FTE +1.6%
2005 1,413 FTE +13.7%
2006 1,508 FTE +6.7%
2007 1,580 FTE +4.8%
2008 1,614 FTE +2.1%
2009 1,704 FTE +5.6%
2010 1,723 FTE +1.1%
2011 1,761 FTE +2.2%
2012 1,831 FTE +4.0%
2013 1,916 FTE +4.6%
2014 1,947 FTE +1.6%
2015 2,076 FTE +6.6%
2016 2,210 FTE +6.4%
2017 2,322 FTE +5.1%
2018 2,524 FTE +8.7%
2019 2,671 FTE +5.8%
2020 2,615 FTE -2.1%
2021 2,659 FTE +1.7%
2022 2,796 FTE +5.1%
2023 2,855 FTE +2.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,192 FTE 1,138 FTE 1,338 FTE 4
2000s 1,384 FTE 1,155 FTE 1,704 FTE 10
2010s 2,098 FTE 1,723 FTE 2,671 FTE 10
2020s 2,731 FTE 2,615 FTE 2,855 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 31 Poland 3,675 FTE compare
  2. 32 Spain 3,654 FTE compare
  3. 33 Slovakia 3,507 FTE compare
  4. 35 Serbia 2,688 FTE compare
  5. 36 Türkiye 2,645 FTE compare
  6. 37 Russian Federation 2,639 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Italy?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Italy was 2,855 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 2,855 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 1,138 FTE in 1999.
How does Italy rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Italy ranks 34th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is up 49.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Italy 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 Italy. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/italy/

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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