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

Switzerland: Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and was 3.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
3.1%
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
8th
of 48 countries
All-time high
3.1%
in 2023
All-time low
2.6%
in 2017
Years of data
6
2012–2023

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland, 2012–2023

01232012201720232012: 2.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2015: 2.7 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2017: 2.6 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2019: 2.8 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2021: 2.9 Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC)2023: 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

The most recent figure for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland is 3.1%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland peaked at 3.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2017.

That places Switzerland 8th out of 48 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland, 2012 to 2023.
Year Percentage of population in the labour force - numerator in head count (HC) Change
2012 2.7%
2015 2.7% +1.9%
2017 2.6% -3.7%
2019 2.8% +7.7%
2021 2.9% +4.3%
2023 3.1% +5.5%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.7% 2.6% 2.8% 4
2020s 3.0% 2.9% 3.1% 2

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 5 Finland 3.3% compare
  2. 6 Denmark 3.3% compare
  3. 7 Portugal 3.1% compare
  4. 9 Sweden 3.0% compare
  5. 10 Greece 2.9% compare
  6. 11 Germany 2.8% compare

See the full ranking of 51 places →

More work & labour data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland?
Share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland was 3.1% in 2023, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2017.
How does Switzerland rank for share of r&d personnel and researchers in total active population and?
Switzerland ranks 8th 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 Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 — 6 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 Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-r-and-d-personnel-and-researchers-in-total-active-population-and-employment-by/switzerland/

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/switzerland/">Share of R&D personnel and researchers in total active population and in Switzerland</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