Researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal

Portugal: Researchers per million inhabitants was 5,983 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,983 FTE
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
11th
of 103 countries
All-time high
5,983 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
1,256 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal, 1996–2023

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 1.3k FTE1997: 1.4k FTE1998: 1.5k FTE1999: 1.5k FTE2000: 1.6k FTE2001: 1.7k FTE2002: 1.8k FTE2003: 1.9k FTE2004: 2.0k FTE2005: 2.0k FTE2006: 2.3k FTE2007: 2.7k FTE2008: 3.8k FTE2009: 3.8k FTE2010: 3.9k FTE2011: 4.2k FTE2012: 4.0k FTE2013: 3.6k FTE2014: 3.7k FTE2015: 3.7k FTE2016: 4.0k FTE2017: 4.3k FTE2018: 4.6k FTE2019: 4.9k FTE2020: 5.1k FTE2021: 5.4k FTE2022: 5.7k FTE2023: 6.0k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal is 5,983 FTE, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 65.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal peaked at 5,983 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,256 FTE, in 1996.

Portugal ranks 11th 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 in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in Portugal, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 1,256 FTE
1997 1,352 FTE +7.7%
1998 1,450 FTE +7.2%
1999 1,547 FTE +6.6%
2000 1,634 FTE +5.6%
2001 1,717 FTE +5.1%
2002 1,828 FTE +6.4%
2003 1,939 FTE +6.1%
2004 1,976 FTE +1.9%
2005 2,013 FTE +1.9%
2006 2,345 FTE +16.5%
2007 2,674 FTE +14.1%
2008 3,827 FTE +43.1%
2009 3,769 FTE -1.5%
2010 3,924 FTE +4.1%
2011 4,166 FTE +6.2%
2012 4,032 FTE -3.2%
2013 3,606 FTE -10.6%
2014 3,658 FTE +1.5%
2015 3,725 FTE +1.8%
2016 3,992 FTE +7.2%
2017 4,348 FTE +8.9%
2018 4,614 FTE +6.1%
2019 4,859 FTE +5.3%
2020 5,131 FTE +5.6%
2021 5,431 FTE +5.8%
2022 5,687 FTE +4.7%
2023 5,983 FTE +5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,401 FTE 1,256 FTE 1,547 FTE 4
2000s 2,372 FTE 1,634 FTE 3,827 FTE 10
2010s 4,092 FTE 3,606 FTE 4,859 FTE 10
2020s 5,558 FTE 5,131 FTE 5,983 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 8 Netherlands 6,563 FTE compare
  2. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  3. 10 Belgium 5,990 FTE compare
  4. 12 Iceland 5,953 FTE compare
  5. 13 Germany 5,926 FTE compare
  6. 14 Hong Kong 5,874 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Portugal was 5,983 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 5,983 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 1,256 FTE in 1996.
How does Portugal rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Portugal ranks 11th out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 65.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Portugal 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 Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/portugal/

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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