Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in South Korea
South Korea: Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) was 9,472 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising
Researchers per million inhabitants in South Korea, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.
Analysis
In 2023, researchers per million inhabitants in South Korea stood at 9,472 FTE. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 46.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in South Korea peaked at 9,472 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,008 FTE, in 1998.
South Korea ranks 1st of 103 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | FTE | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2,186 FTE | — |
| 1997 | 2,242 FTE | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 2,008 FTE | -10.4% |
| 1999 | 2,161 FTE | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 2,324 FTE | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 2,907 FTE | +25.1% |
| 2002 | 3,008 FTE | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 3,190 FTE | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 3,281 FTE | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 3,763 FTE | +14.7% |
| 2006 | 4,173 FTE | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 4,615 FTE | +10.6% |
| 2008 | 4,892 FTE | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 5,038 FTE | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 5,429 FTE | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 5,909 FTE | +8.8% |
| 2012 | 6,393 FTE | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 6,458 FTE | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 6,867 FTE | +6.3% |
| 2015 | 7,020 FTE | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 7,057 FTE | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 7,453 FTE | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 7,918 FTE | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 8,329 FTE | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 8,620 FTE | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 9,071 FTE | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 9,435 FTE | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 9,472 FTE | +0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 9,472 FTE is above the median for high income countries, which is 4,601 FTE, 2.1× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 9,472 FTE is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,338 FTE, 2.8× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2,149 FTE | 2,008 FTE | 2,242 FTE | 4 |
| 2000s | 3,719 FTE | 2,324 FTE | 5,038 FTE | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,884 FTE | 5,429 FTE | 8,329 FTE | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,150 FTE | 8,620 FTE | 9,472 FTE | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More science & technology data for South Korea
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 172.52 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.72 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 89.22 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 859.55 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 6.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 6.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 50,459 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 50,459 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is researchers per million inhabitants in South Korea?
- Researchers per million inhabitants in South Korea was 9,472 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9,472 FTE in 2023.
- What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,008 FTE in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
- South Korea ranks 1st out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
- Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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