Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
SDG: Sub-saharan Africa: Researchers per million inhabitants was 88.25 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising
Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, 1996–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.
Analysis
The most recent figure for researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa is 88.25 FTE, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa peaked at 94.14 FTE in 2017 and was at its lowest, 56.43 FTE, in 1997.
That places SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 48th out of 50 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | FTE | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 56.59 FTE | — |
| 1997 | 56.43 FTE | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 58.4 FTE | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 60.24 FTE | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 62 FTE | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 64.58 FTE | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 63.48 FTE | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 64.5 FTE | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 70.07 FTE | +8.6% |
| 2005 | 70.14 FTE | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 68.8 FTE | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 67.15 FTE | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 72.49 FTE | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 76.61 FTE | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 79.39 FTE | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 81.34 FTE | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 82.8 FTE | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 85.02 FTE | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 86.2 FTE | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 90.3 FTE | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 91.5 FTE | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 94.14 FTE | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 93.16 FTE | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 91.52 FTE | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 89.79 FTE | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 88.72 FTE | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 87.6 FTE | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 88.25 FTE | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.92 FTE | 56.43 FTE | 60.24 FTE | 4 |
| 2000s | 67.98 FTE | 62 FTE | 76.61 FTE | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.54 FTE | 79.39 FTE | 94.14 FTE | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.59 FTE | 87.6 FTE | 89.79 FTE | 4 |
Countries ranked near SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
More science & technology data for SDG: Sub-saharan Africa
- GERD as a percentage of GDP 0.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Researchers per million inhabitants in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa was 88.25 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 94.14 FTE in 2017.
- What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.43 FTE in 1997.
- How does SDG: Sub-saharan Africa rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
- SDG: Sub-saharan Africa ranks 48th out of 50 groups with data for 2023.
- Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in SDG: Sub-saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this SDG: Sub-saharan Africa 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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CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release