Researchers as a share of the labour force
Researchers in all sectors, in full-time equivalents, as a percentage of the labour force.
30 countries have a value for 2024, the latest period in the data.
Trend over time
The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of labour force (full-time equivalent). Source: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | European Union | Germany | France | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.04%e (estimated) | 1.21% | 1.21% | 0.77% |
| 2023 | 1.02%e (estimated) | 1.19% | 1.18% | 0.74% |
| 2022 | 0.99%e (estimated) | 1.16% | 1.14% | 0.69% |
| 2021 | 0.96%e (estimated) | 1.13% | 1.13% | 0.67% |
| 2020 | 0.92%e (estimated) | 1.11% | 1.10% | 0.65% |
| 2019 | 0.89%e (estimated) | 1.09% | 1.06% | 0.63% |
| 2018 | 0.86%e (estimated) | 1.06% | 1.03% | 0.62% |
| 2017 | 0.83% | 1.02% | 1.01% | 0.59% |
| 2016 | 0.78%e (estimated) | 0.97% | 0.97% | 0.56% |
| 2015 | 0.76%e (estimated) | 0.96% | 0.95% | 0.54% |
| 2014 | 0.73%e (estimated) | 0.88% | 0.91% | 0.54% |
| 2013 | 0.72%e (estimated) | 0.88% | 0.91% | 0.53% |
| 2012 | 0.70%e (estimated) | 0.88% | 0.89% | 0.54% |
| 2011 | 0.68%e (estimated) | 0.85% | 0.86% | 0.56% |
| 2010 | 0.66%e (estimated) | 0.83%e (estimated) | 0.84%b (break in time series) | 0.58% |
| 2009 | 0.64%e (estimated) | 0.79% | 0.81%d (definition differs (see metadata)) | 0.58% |
| 2008 | 0.62%e (estimated) | 0.74%e (estimated) | 0.79%d (definition differs (see metadata)) | 0.57% |
| 2007 | 0.59%e (estimated) | 0.71% | 0.78% | 0.55% |
| 2006 | 0.58%e (estimated) | 0.68% | 0.74% | 0.54% |
| 2005 | 0.56%e (estimated) | 0.67% | 0.72% | 0.52% |
| 2004 | 0.55%e (estimated) | 0.68% | 0.73% | 0.50% |
| 2003 | 0.53%e (estimated) | 0.68% | 0.70% | 0.47% |
| 2002 | 0.52%e (estimated) | 0.68%e (estimated) | – | 0.44% |
| 2001 | 0.51%e (estimated) | 0.68% | – | 0.45% |
| 2000 | 0.50%e (estimated) | 0.66% | – | 0.43% |
Flags: e estimated; d definition differs (see metadata); b break in time series . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- Among the 30 countries with a value for 2024, the highest is Sweden (1.99%) and the lowest Romania (0.26%).
- Half of the countries are above 1.01% and half below.
- From 2023 to 2024 the value rose in 20 countries and fell in 7.
- The figure for the European Union was 1.04% in 2024, against 0.89% in 2019 (+0.15 percentage points).
About this measure
Source and dates
All countries in 2024 Every value is for 2024, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.
- 1 Sweden 1.99%
- 2 Finland 1.78%d (definition differs (see metadata))
- 3 Denmark 1.71%
- 4 Belgium 1.52%e (estimated)
- 5 Austria 1.35%e (estimated)
- 6 Norway 1.35%d (definition differs (see metadata))
- 7 Netherlands 1.30%
- 8 Portugal 1.25%
- 9 France 1.21%
- 10 Germany 1.21%
- 11 Slovenia 1.17%
- 12 Ireland 1.11%
- 13 Greece 1.10%
- 14 Estonia 1.06%
- 15 Luxembourg 1.05%
- 16 Czechia 0.96%
- 17 Hungary 0.93%
- 18 Poland 0.83%
- 19 Spain 0.77%
- 20 Slovakia 0.75%
- 21 Lithuania 0.73%d (definition differs (see metadata))
- 22 Italy 0.72%
- 23 Türkiye 0.72%
- 24 Bulgaria 0.60%
- 25 Serbia 0.59%
- 26 Croatia 0.54%
- 27 Latvia 0.50%
- 28 Malta 0.44%
- 29 Cyprus 0.33%
- 30 Romania 0.26%
- European Union 1.04%e (estimated)
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Grey: no value for 2024. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.