Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal

Portugal: Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and was 3.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
3.1%
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
7th
of 48 countries
All-time high
3.1%
in 2024
All-time low
0.5%
in 1993
Years of data
32
1993–2024

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal, 1993–2024

01231993200820241993: 0.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1994: 0.53 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1995: 0.55 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1996: 0.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1997: 0.64 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1998: 0.69 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1999: 0.76 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2000: 0.77 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2001: 0.78 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2002: 0.82 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2003: 0.86 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2004: 0.87 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2005: 0.87 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2006: 1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2007: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2008: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2009: 1.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2010: 1.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2011: 1.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2012: 1.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2013: 1.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2014: 2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2015: 2.1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2016: 2.1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2017: 2.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2018: 2.4 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2019: 2.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2020: 2.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2021: 2.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2022: 2.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2023: 3 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2024: 3.1 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

In 2024, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal stood at 3.1%. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 57.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal peaked at 3.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1993.

Portugal ranks 7th of 48 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal, 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 Portugal, 1993 to 2024.
Year Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC) Change
1993 0.5%
1994 0.5% +6.0%
1995 0.6% +3.8%
1996 0.6% +9.1%
1997 0.6% +6.7%
1998 0.7% +7.8%
1999 0.8% +10.1%
2000 0.8% +1.3%
2001 0.8% +1.3%
2002 0.8% +5.1%
2003 0.9% +4.9%
2004 0.9% +1.2%
2005 0.9% +0.0%
2006 1.0% +19.5%
2007 1.2% +16.3%
2008 1.7% +38.8%
2009 1.8% +5.4%
2010 1.8% +3.4%
2011 1.9% +2.7%
2012 1.9% +0.0%
2013 1.9% +3.7%
2014 2.0% +2.1%
2015 2.1% +6.5%
2016 2.1% +0.0%
2017 2.2% +4.7%
2018 2.4% +6.3%
2019 2.5% +5.1%
2020 2.7% +8.5%
2021 2.8% +4.5%
2022 2.9% +3.6%
2023 3.0% +3.4%
2024 3.1% +4.0%

Portugal compared with similar countries

  • Portugal's 3.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.2%, 1.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Portugal's 3.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 1.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2008 +38.8% 1.2% 1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.6% 0.5% 0.8% 7
2000s 1.1% 0.8% 1.8% 10
2010s 2.1% 1.8% 2.5% 10
2020s 2.9% 2.7% 3.1% 5

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 4 Austria 3.3% compare
  2. 5 Finland 3.3% compare
  3. 6 Denmark 3.3% compare
  4. 8 Switzerland 3.1% compare
  5. 9 Sweden 3.0% compare
  6. 10 Greece 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More work & labour data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal?
Share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal was 3.1% in 2024, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1993.
How does Portugal rank for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and?
Portugal ranks 7th out of 48 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 57.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Portugal 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.

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Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/portugal/

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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