Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)

European Union - 27 countries (from 2020): Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and was 2.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2.3%
Change on year
up 3.6%
Rank
3rd
of 3 regions
All-time high
2.3%
in 2023
All-time low
1.3%
in 2003
Years of data
11
2003–2023

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), 2003–2023

00.511.522.52003201320232003: 1.3 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2005: 1.4 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2007: 1.4 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2009: 1.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2011: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2013: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2015: 1.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2017: 2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2019: 2.1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2021: 2.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2023: 2.3 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC).

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) is 2.3%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) peaked at 2.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2003.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), year by year

Annual values for Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020), 2003 to 2023.
Year Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC) Change
2003 1.3%
2005 1.4% +3.8%
2007 1.4% +5.8%
2009 1.6% +6.9%
2011 1.7% +8.4%
2013 1.7% +3.6%
2015 1.8% +4.6%
2017 2.0% +7.7%
2019 2.1% +8.2%
2021 2.2% +5.2%
2023 2.3% +3.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.4% 1.3% 1.6% 4
2010s 1.9% 1.7% 2.1% 5
2020s 2.3% 2.2% 2.3% 2

Countries ranked near European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)

  1. 1 Belgium 3.6% compare
  2. 2 Iceland 3.5% compare
  3. 3 Norway 3.4% compare
  4. 4 Austria 3.3% compare
  5. 5 Finland 3.3% compare
  6. 6 Denmark 3.3% compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More work & labour data for European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)

All data for European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
Share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) was 2.3% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2003.
How does European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) rank for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and?
European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) ranks 3rd out of 3 regions with data for 2023.
Is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and rising or falling in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this European Union - 27 countries (from 2020) data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020). Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/european-union-27-countries-from-2020/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/european-union-27-countries-from-2020/">Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in European Union - 27 countries (from 2020)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and employment by sector of performance and sex
Unit
Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
51 places, 1,043 data points, 1992–2024
Last refreshed