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

Spain: Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and was 1.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
1.8%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
30th
of 48 countries
All-time high
1.8%
in 2023
All-time low
0.8%
in 1993
Years of data
28
1993–2023

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain, 1993–2023

00.511.521993200820231993: 0.78 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1994: 0.84 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1995: 0.91 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1997: 0.93 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)1999: 1 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2001: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2002: 1.2 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2003: 1.3 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2004: 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)2006: 1.4 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2007: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2008: 1.5 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)2010: 1.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2011: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2012: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2013: 1.4 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2014: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2015: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2016: 1.5 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2017: 1.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2018: 1.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2019: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2020: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2021: 1.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2022: 1.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2023: 1.8 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 2023, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain stood at 1.8%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 25.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain peaked at 1.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 1993.

That places Spain 30th out of 48 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain, 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 Spain, 1993 to 2023.
Year Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC) Change
1993 0.8%
1994 0.8% +7.7%
1995 0.9% +8.3%
1997 0.9% +2.2%
1999 1.0% +10.8%
2001 1.2% +12.6%
2002 1.2% +6.0%
2003 1.3% +3.3%
2004 1.3% +3.9%
2005 1.4% +2.3%
2006 1.4% +5.9%
2007 1.5% +4.2%
2008 1.5% +3.4%
2009 1.6% +0.6%
2010 1.6% +0.0%
2011 1.5% -1.9%
2012 1.5% -3.3%
2013 1.4% -1.4%
2014 1.5% +0.7%
2015 1.5% +2.1%
2016 1.5% +1.3%
2017 1.6% +4.0%
2018 1.6% +3.8%
2019 1.7% +1.8%
2020 1.7% +1.2%
2021 1.7% +3.0%
2022 1.8% +4.0%
2023 1.8% +1.1%

Spain compared with similar countries

  • Spain's 1.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.2%, 82% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Spain's 1.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.2%, 81% of the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.9% 0.8% 1.0% 5
2000s 1.4% 1.2% 1.6% 9
2010s 1.5% 1.4% 1.7% 10
2020s 1.8% 1.7% 1.8% 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 27 Hungary 1.9% compare
  2. 27 Poland 1.9% compare
  3. 27 Poland 1.9% compare
  4. 31 Lithuania 1.8% compare
  5. 31 Lithuania 1.8% compare
  6. 33 Croatia 1.7% compare
  7. 33 Croatia 1.7% compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More work & labour data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain?
Share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Spain was 1.8% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 1993.
How does Spain rank for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and?
Spain ranks 30th out of 48 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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 Spain. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/spain/

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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