Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America

SDG: Europe and Northern America: Researchers per million inhabitants was 4,358 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,358 FTE
Change on year
up 1.7%
Rank
8th
of 50 groups
All-time high
4,358 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,618 FTE
in 1997
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 2.6k FTE1997: 2.6k FTE1998: 2.7k FTE1999: 2.7k FTE2000: 2.8k FTE2001: 2.8k FTE2002: 2.9k FTE2003: 3.0k FTE2004: 3.0k FTE2005: 3.0k FTE2006: 3.1k FTE2007: 3.1k FTE2008: 3.2k FTE2009: 3.2k FTE2010: 3.2k FTE2011: 3.3k FTE2012: 3.3k FTE2013: 3.4k FTE2014: 3.5k FTE2015: 3.5k FTE2016: 3.5k FTE2017: 3.7k FTE2018: 3.8k FTE2019: 3.9k FTE2020: 4.0k FTE2021: 4.2k FTE2022: 4.3k FTE2023: 4.4k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America is 4,358 FTE, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America peaked at 4,358 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,618 FTE, in 1997.

That places SDG: Europe and Northern America 8th out of 50 groups 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 SDG: Europe and Northern America, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in SDG: Europe and Northern America, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,647 FTE
1997 2,618 FTE -1.1%
1998 2,653 FTE +1.3%
1999 2,723 FTE +2.7%
2000 2,784 FTE +2.2%
2001 2,838 FTE +1.9%
2002 2,883 FTE +1.6%
2003 2,980 FTE +3.4%
2004 2,988 FTE +0.3%
2005 3,022 FTE +1.1%
2006 3,079 FTE +1.9%
2007 3,111 FTE +1.0%
2008 3,192 FTE +2.6%
2009 3,240 FTE +1.5%
2010 3,223 FTE -0.5%
2011 3,286 FTE +2.0%
2012 3,327 FTE +1.3%
2013 3,397 FTE +2.1%
2014 3,457 FTE +1.8%
2015 3,540 FTE +2.4%
2016 3,549 FTE +0.2%
2017 3,653 FTE +2.9%
2018 3,825 FTE +4.7%
2019 3,904 FTE +2.1%
2020 4,002 FTE +2.5%
2021 4,180 FTE +4.5%
2022 4,284 FTE +2.5%
2023 4,358 FTE +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,661 FTE 2,618 FTE 2,723 FTE 4
2000s 3,012 FTE 2,784 FTE 3,240 FTE 10
2010s 3,516 FTE 3,223 FTE 3,904 FTE 10
2020s 4,206 FTE 4,002 FTE 4,358 FTE 4

Countries ranked near SDG: Europe and Northern America

  1. 5 Finland 8,315 FTE compare
  2. 6 Norway 7,451 FTE compare
  3. 7 Austria 6,634 FTE compare
  4. 8 Netherlands 6,563 FTE compare
  5. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  6. 10 Belgium 5,990 FTE compare
  7. 11 Portugal 5,983 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for SDG: Europe and Northern America

All data for SDG: Europe and Northern America →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America?
Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe and Northern America was 4,358 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe and Northern America?
The highest recorded value was 4,358 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe and Northern America?
The lowest recorded value was 2,618 FTE in 1997.
How does SDG: Europe and Northern America rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
SDG: Europe and Northern America ranks 8th out of 50 groups with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in SDG: Europe and Northern America?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Europe and Northern America 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 SDG: Europe and Northern America. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/sdg-europe-and-northern-america/

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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