Researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe

UIS: North America and Western Europe: Researchers per million inhabitants was 5,119 FTE in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
5,119 FTE
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
2nd
of 50 groups
All-time high
5,119 FTE
in 2023
All-time low
2,728 FTE
in 1996
Years of data
28
1996–2023

Researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1996–2023

02.0k4.0k6.0k1996200920231996: 2.7k FTE1997: 2.8k FTE1998: 2.9k FTE1999: 3.0k FTE2000: 3.1k FTE2001: 3.2k FTE2002: 3.2k FTE2003: 3.4k FTE2004: 3.4k FTE2005: 3.4k FTE2006: 3.5k FTE2007: 3.5k FTE2008: 3.6k FTE2009: 3.7k FTE2010: 3.7k FTE2011: 3.8k FTE2012: 3.8k FTE2013: 3.9k FTE2014: 4.0k FTE2015: 4.1k FTE2016: 4.1k FTE2017: 4.2k FTE2018: 4.5k FTE2019: 4.6k FTE2020: 4.7k FTE2021: 4.9k FTE2022: 5.0k FTE2023: 5.1k FTE

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in FTE.

Analysis

In 2023, researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe stood at 5,119 FTE. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe peaked at 5,119 FTE in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2,728 FTE, in 1996.

That places UIS: North America and Western Europe 2nd out of 50 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for Researchers per million inhabitants (FTE) in UIS: North America and Western Europe, 1996 to 2023.
Year FTE Change
1996 2,728 FTE
1997 2,778 FTE +1.8%
1998 2,892 FTE +4.1%
1999 2,995 FTE +3.6%
2000 3,072 FTE +2.6%
2001 3,151 FTE +2.6%
2002 3,228 FTE +2.4%
2003 3,371 FTE +4.5%
2004 3,377 FTE +0.2%
2005 3,419 FTE +1.2%
2006 3,496 FTE +2.2%
2007 3,523 FTE +0.8%
2008 3,648 FTE +3.5%
2009 3,724 FTE +2.1%
2010 3,687 FTE -1.0%
2011 3,767 FTE +2.2%
2012 3,828 FTE +1.6%
2013 3,921 FTE +2.4%
2014 3,991 FTE +1.8%
2015 4,091 FTE +2.5%
2016 4,112 FTE +0.5%
2017 4,240 FTE +3.1%
2018 4,458 FTE +5.1%
2019 4,565 FTE +2.4%
2020 4,688 FTE +2.7%
2021 4,921 FTE +5.0%
2022 5,046 FTE +2.5%
2023 5,119 FTE +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2,848 FTE 2,728 FTE 2,995 FTE 4
2000s 3,401 FTE 3,072 FTE 3,724 FTE 10
2010s 4,066 FTE 3,687 FTE 4,565 FTE 10
2020s 4,943 FTE 4,688 FTE 5,119 FTE 4

Countries ranked near UIS: North America and Western Europe

  1. 1 Korea 9,472 FTE compare
  2. 2 Sweden 8,911 FTE compare
  3. 3 Denmark 8,838 FTE compare
  4. 4 Singapore 8,782 FTE compare
  5. 5 Finland 8,315 FTE compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More science & technology data for UIS: North America and Western Europe

All data for UIS: North America and Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
Researchers per million inhabitants in UIS: North America and Western Europe was 5,119 FTE in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 5,119 FTE in 2023.
What is the lowest researchers per million inhabitants recorded in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 2,728 FTE in 1996.
How does UIS: North America and Western Europe rank for researchers per million inhabitants?
UIS: North America and Western Europe ranks 2nd out of 50 groups with data for 2023.
Is researchers per million inhabitants rising or falling in UIS: North America and Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UIS: North America and Western 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 UIS: North America and Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/researchers-per-million-inhabitants-fte/uis-north-america-and-western-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