How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Spain?

16 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2016.

Where does this data come from?

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Japan vs Spain: R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D

Japan

1.18 million Persons

in 2016

Spain

431,848 Persons

in 2023

Japan rank

1st

Spain rank

4th

R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D over time

Japan
Spain

How they compare

Japan currently reports 1.18 million Persons against 431,848 Persons in Spain, a difference of 748,552 Persons.

That makes Japan's figure about 2.7 times Spain's.

Across all 16 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.

Japan ranks 1st and Spain ranks 4th of 25 countries.

Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Japan	Spain	Difference	Ahead
2000s	1.11 million Persons	288,249 Persons	823,086 Persons	Japan
2010s	1.16 million Persons	343,291 Persons	818,011 Persons	Japan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d, Japan or Spain?: Japan, at 1.18 million Persons against 431,848 Persons in Spain as of 2016.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d between Japan and Spain?: 748,552 Persons, with Japan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Spain?: 16 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2016.
How do Japan and Spain rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d?: Japan ranks 1st and Spain ranks 4th of 25 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Japan vs Spain: R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-formal-qualification-r-and-d-personnel/japan/spain/

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About this data

Indicator: R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit: Persons
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence: OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage: 34 places, 789 data points, 1981–2024
Last refreshed: 21 August 2026

This table presents research and development (R&D) personnel statistics. Number of R&D personnel is provided in headcounts;D by sex, sector of employment (business enterprise, government, higher education, and private non-profit) and by formal qualification (university and other diplomas by ISCED classification).