Researchers per million inhabitants in Spain

Spain: Researchers per million inhabitants was 3,654 FTE in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
3,654 FTE
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
32nd
of 103 countries
All-time high
3,654 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
1,286 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in Spain, 1996–2023

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1996200920231996: 1.3k FTE1997: 1.3k FTE1998: 1.5k FTE1999: 1.5k FTE2000: 1.9k FTE2001: 1.9k FTE2002: 2.0k FTE2003: 2.2k FTE2004: 2.4k FTE2005: 2.5k FTE2006: 2.6k FTE2007: 2.7k FTE2008: 2.9k FTE2009: 2.9k FTE2010: 2.9k FTE2011: 2.8k FTE2012: 2.7k FTE2013: 2.6k FTE2014: 2.6k FTE2015: 2.6k FTE2016: 2.7k FTE2017: 2.8k FTE2018: 3.0k FTE2019: 3.0k FTE2020: 3.1k FTE2021: 3.2k FTE2022: 3.4k FTE2023: 3.7k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

In 2023, researchers per million inhabitants in Spain stood at 3,654 FTE. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in Spain peaked at 3,654 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1,286 FTE, in 1996.

Spain ranks 32nd of 103 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,405 FTE 1,286 FTE 1,512 FTE 4
2000s 2,396 FTE 1,874 FTE 2,877 FTE 10
2010s 2,780 FTE 2,614 FTE 3,048 FTE 10
2020s 3,331 FTE 3,052 FTE 3,654 FTE 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 29 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4,473 FTE compare
  2. 30 Lithuania 3,704 FTE compare
  3. 31 Poland 3,675 FTE compare
  4. 33 Slovakia 3,507 FTE compare
  5. 34 Italy 2,855 FTE compare
  6. 35 Serbia 2,688 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places β†’

More science & technology data for Spain

All data for Spain β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in Spain?
Researchers per million inhabitants in Spain was 3,654 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 3,654 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 1,286 FTE in 1996.
How does Spain rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
Spain ranks 32nd out of 103 countries with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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 Spain. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/spain/

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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