Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand: Researchers per million inhabitants was 4,371 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,371 FTE
Change on year
up 1.7%
Rank
7th
of 50 groups
All-time high
4,371 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,630 FTE
in 1997
Years of data
28
1996–2023

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

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 2.7k FTE1997: 2.6k FTE1998: 2.7k FTE1999: 2.7k FTE2000: 2.8k FTE2001: 2.9k FTE2002: 2.9k FTE2003: 3.0k FTE2004: 3.0k FTE2005: 3.0k FTE2006: 3.1k FTE2007: 3.1k FTE2008: 3.2k FTE2009: 3.3k FTE2010: 3.3k FTE2011: 3.3k FTE2012: 3.4k FTE2013: 3.4k FTE2014: 3.5k FTE2015: 3.6k FTE2016: 3.6k FTE2017: 3.7k FTE2018: 3.9k 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

SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand recorded 4,371 FTE for researchers per million inhabitants in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 27.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand peaked at 4,371 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,630 FTE, in 1997.

That places SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand 7th 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, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,658 FTE
1997 2,630 FTE -1.1%
1998 2,664 FTE +1.3%
1999 2,734 FTE +2.6%
2000 2,795 FTE +2.2%
2001 2,852 FTE +2.0%
2002 2,899 FTE +1.7%
2003 2,997 FTE +3.4%
2004 3,009 FTE +0.4%
2005 3,044 FTE +1.2%
2006 3,102 FTE +1.9%
2007 3,135 FTE +1.1%
2008 3,216 FTE +2.6%
2009 3,266 FTE +1.5%
2010 3,252 FTE -0.4%
2011 3,318 FTE +2.0%
2012 3,363 FTE +1.4%
2013 3,432 FTE +2.0%
2014 3,494 FTE +1.8%
2015 3,576 FTE +2.4%
2016 3,581 FTE +0.2%
2017 3,682 FTE +2.8%
2018 3,851 FTE +4.6%
2019 3,929 FTE +2.0%
2020 4,023 FTE +2.4%
2021 4,196 FTE +4.3%
2022 4,299 FTE +2.4%
2023 4,371 FTE +1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,672 FTE 2,630 FTE 2,734 FTE 4
2000s 3,032 FTE 2,795 FTE 3,266 FTE 10
2010s 3,548 FTE 3,252 FTE 3,929 FTE 10
2020s 4,222 FTE 4,023 FTE 4,371 FTE 4

Countries ranked near SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

  1. 4 Singapore 8,782 FTE compare
  2. 5 Finland 8,315 FTE compare
  3. 6 Norway 7,451 FTE compare
  4. 7 Austria 6,634 FTE compare
  5. 8 Netherlands 6,563 FTE compare
  6. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  7. 10 Belgium 5,990 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand

All data for SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand was 4,371 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 4,371 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2,630 FTE in 1997.
How does SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand ranks 7th out of 50 groups with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Europe, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand 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, Northern America, Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/sdg-europe-northern-america-australia-and-new-zealand/

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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