Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe

SDG: Europe: Researchers per million inhabitants was 4,025 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4,025 FTE
Change on year
up 2.7%
Rank
9th
of 50 groups
All-time high
4,025 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,324 FTE
in 1998
Years of data
28
1996–2023

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

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 2.4k FTE1997: 2.3k FTE1998: 2.3k FTE1999: 2.4k FTE2000: 2.5k FTE2001: 2.5k FTE2002: 2.5k FTE2003: 2.6k FTE2004: 2.7k FTE2005: 2.7k FTE2006: 2.8k FTE2007: 2.8k FTE2008: 2.9k FTE2009: 2.9k FTE2010: 3.0k FTE2011: 3.0k FTE2012: 3.1k FTE2013: 3.2k FTE2014: 3.2k FTE2015: 3.3k FTE2016: 3.4k FTE2017: 3.5k FTE2018: 3.6k FTE2019: 3.6k FTE2020: 3.7k FTE2021: 3.8k FTE2022: 3.9k FTE2023: 4.0k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe is 4,025 FTE, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 27.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe peaked at 4,025 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,324 FTE, in 1998.

That places SDG: Europe 9th 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, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in SDG: Europe, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,424 FTE
1997 2,340 FTE -3.5%
1998 2,324 FTE -0.7%
1999 2,388 FTE +2.8%
2000 2,457 FTE +2.9%
2001 2,507 FTE +2.0%
2002 2,549 FTE +1.7%
2003 2,596 FTE +1.8%
2004 2,653 FTE +2.2%
2005 2,723 FTE +2.6%
2006 2,783 FTE +2.2%
2007 2,834 FTE +1.9%
2008 2,892 FTE +2.0%
2009 2,919 FTE +0.9%
2010 2,980 FTE +2.1%
2011 3,018 FTE +1.3%
2012 3,092 FTE +2.5%
2013 3,158 FTE +2.1%
2014 3,206 FTE +1.5%
2015 3,314 FTE +3.4%
2016 3,355 FTE +1.2%
2017 3,453 FTE +2.9%
2018 3,559 FTE +3.1%
2019 3,650 FTE +2.5%
2020 3,688 FTE +1.1%
2021 3,786 FTE +2.7%
2022 3,918 FTE +3.5%
2023 4,025 FTE +2.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,369 FTE 2,324 FTE 2,424 FTE 4
2000s 2,691 FTE 2,457 FTE 2,919 FTE 10
2010s 3,278 FTE 2,980 FTE 3,650 FTE 10
2020s 3,855 FTE 3,688 FTE 4,025 FTE 4

Countries ranked near SDG: Europe

  1. 6 Norway 7,451 FTE compare
  2. 7 Austria 6,634 FTE compare
  3. 8 Netherlands 6,563 FTE compare
  4. 9 Switzerland 6,108 FTE compare
  5. 10 Belgium 5,990 FTE compare
  6. 11 Portugal 5,983 FTE compare
  7. 12 Iceland 5,953 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for SDG: Europe

All data for SDG: Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe?
Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Europe was 4,025 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe?
The highest recorded value was 4,025 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 2,324 FTE in 1998.
How does SDG: Europe rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
SDG: Europe ranks 9th out of 50 groups with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in SDG: Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this SDG: Europe 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. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/sdg-europe/

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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