Researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands

Netherlands: Researchers per million inhabitants was 6,563 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
6,563 FTE
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
8th
of 103 countries
All-time high
6,563 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,278 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands, 1996–2023

2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k7.0k1996200920231996: 2.3k FTE1997: 2.4k FTE1998: 2.5k FTE1999: 2.6k FTE2000: 2.6k FTE2001: 2.8k FTE2002: 2.7k FTE2003: 2.7k FTE2004: 3.0k FTE2005: 2.9k FTE2006: 3.2k FTE2007: 3.1k FTE2008: 3.1k FTE2009: 2.8k FTE2010: 3.2k FTE2011: 3.6k FTE2012: 4.3k FTE2013: 4.9k FTE2014: 4.9k FTE2015: 4.9k FTE2016: 5.1k FTE2017: 5.3k FTE2018: 5.5k FTE2019: 5.6k FTE2020: 5.8k FTE2021: 6.0k FTE2022: 6.3k FTE2023: 6.6k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

Netherlands recorded 6,563 FTE for researchers per million inhabitants in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 34.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands peaked at 6,563 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,278 FTE, in 1996.

That places Netherlands 8th out of 103 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Netherlands, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,278 FTE
1997 2,427 FTE +6.6%
1998 2,478 FTE +2.1%
1999 2,632 FTE +6.2%
2000 2,638 FTE +0.2%
2001 2,828 FTE +7.2%
2002 2,701 FTE -4.5%
2003 2,682 FTE -0.7%
2004 2,951 FTE +10.0%
2005 2,909 FTE -1.4%
2006 3,225 FTE +10.9%
2007 3,093 FTE -4.1%
2008 3,064 FTE -0.9%
2009 2,822 FTE -7.9%
2010 3,210 FTE +13.7%
2011 3,648 FTE +13.6%
2012 4,336 FTE +18.9%
2013 4,887 FTE +12.7%
2014 4,926 FTE +0.8%
2015 4,892 FTE -0.7%
2016 5,109 FTE +4.4%
2017 5,273 FTE +3.2%
2018 5,497 FTE +4.2%
2019 5,592 FTE +1.7%
2020 5,799 FTE +3.7%
2021 6,004 FTE +3.5%
2022 6,319 FTE +5.3%
2023 6,563 FTE +3.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,454 FTE 2,278 FTE 2,632 FTE 4
2000s 2,891 FTE 2,638 FTE 3,225 FTE 10
2010s 4,737 FTE 3,210 FTE 5,592 FTE 10
2020s 6,171 FTE 5,799 FTE 6,563 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 5 Finland 8,315 FTE compare
  2. 6 Norway 7,451 FTE compare
  3. 7 Austria 6,634 FTE compare
  4. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  5. 10 Belgium 5,990 FTE compare
  6. 11 Portugal 5,983 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Netherlands was 6,563 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 6,563 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 2,278 FTE in 1996.
How does Netherlands rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Netherlands ranks 8th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Netherlands 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 Netherlands. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/netherlands/

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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