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Headline data

Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
Year Value
1981 2312.7
1982 2379.1
1983 2479.4
1984 2600.4
1985 2539.3
1986 2702.1
1987 2811.1
1988 2847.8
1989 2912.9
1990 2945.2
1991 2942.7
1992 2983.8
1993 3001.2
1994 2939.3
1995 2987.6
1996 3124.6
1997 3228.2
1998 3396.0
1999 3455.6
2000 3459.4
2001 3500.2
2002 3548.8
2003 3751.2
2004 3613.2
2005 3539.2
2006 3577.0
2007 3526.5
2008 3655.1
2009 3781.6
2010 3546.5
2011 3662.6
2012 3652.8
2013 3743.6
2014 3848.0
2015 3888.2
2016 3844.5
2017 3978.2
2018 4289.5
2019 4342.4
2020 4562.9
2021 4932.1

Source:

Geographical Area:

Unit of Measurement:

Footnote:

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from United States statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from American statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other American-specific metadata information.

Indicator

Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
Organisation

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Definition and concepts

This indicator measures the share of a country’s population that is employed as researchers. It provides an indication of the extent to which a country’s workforce is engaged in research and development (R&D) activities for the purposes of generating new knowledge and innovations.
Unit of measure

Number of people
Data sources

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Main Science and Technology Indicators (MSTI).
Data providers

Gary Anderson, Steven Deitz
Comment and limitations

This indicator is calculable from OECD data. The number of FTE researchers for the United States is an OECD calculation based on data originally submitted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation.
Method of computation

The number of individuals employed as researchers is first calculated on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. Then it is divided by the population of the country in millions to generate a ratio of FTE researchers per million population.
Periodicity

Annual
Date metadata updated

7/22/2024

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator

Indicator 9.5.2: Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
Target

Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending
Organisation

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Definition and concepts

Definitions:

The researchers (in full-time equivalent - FTE) per million inhabitants is a direct measure of the number of research and experimental development (R&D) workers per 1 million people.

Concepts:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Frascati Manual (OECD, 2015) provides the relevant definitions for research and experimental development (R&D), gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development (R&D) and researchers. Although an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) manual, the application is global. During the 6th revision of the Frascati Manual, developing country issues were mainstreamed in the core of the Manual. The 7th edition was released in October 2015.

The following definitions, taken from the 2015 edition of the Frascati Manual are relevant for computing the indicator.

Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge.

Researchers are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods.

The Full-time equivalent (FTE) of research and experimental development (R&D) personnel is defined as the ratio of working hours actually spent on research and experimental development (R&D) during a specific reference period (usually a calendar year) divided by the total number of hours conventionally worked in the same period by an individual or by a group.
Unit of measure

Per million population
Data sources

Data are collected through national research and experimental development (R&D) surveys, either by the national statistical office or a line ministry (such as the Ministry for Science and Technology).
Data providers

Data are collected through national research and experimental development (R&D) surveys, either by the national statistical office or a line ministry (such as the Ministry for Science and Technology).
Comment and limitations

Research and experimental development (R&D) data need to be collected through surveys, which are expensive, and are not done on a regular basis in many developing countries. Furthermore, (developing) countries do not always cover all sectors of performance. In particular the business sector is not always covered.
Method of computation

Computation of the indicator Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants uses available population data as denominator.

The number researchers (in full-time equivalent - FTE) per million inhabitants (RESDensity) is calculated as:

R E S D e n s i t y = T o t a l   r e s e a r c h e r s   ( F T E ) T o t a l   p o p u l a t i o n   o f   t h e   c o u n t r y × 1 , 000 , 000

where ‘Total researchers (FTE)’ is calculated as:

T o t a l   r e s e a r c h e r s   F T E = N u m b e r   o f   f u l l - t i m e   r e s e a r c h e r s + [   N u m b e r   o f   w o r k i n g   h o u r s   s p e n t   o n   R & D   b y   p a r t - t i m e   r e s e a r c h e r s   N u m b e r   o f   n o r m a t i v e   o r   s t a t u t o r y   w o r k i n g   h o u r s   o f   a   f u l l - t i m e   r e s e a r c h e r ]

Metadata update

2024-07-29
International organisations(s) responsible for global monitoring

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)

Related indicators

Linkages with goals and targets: 9.b, 12.a, 17.6, 17.7, 17.8

Linkages with indicators: Not applicable
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