France vs Spain: R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel

France
678,466 Persons
in 2023
Spain
431,848 Persons
in 2023
France rank
4th
Spain rank
6th

R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel over time

  • France
  • Spain
0200.0k400.0k600.0k198820052023

How they compare

France currently reports 678,466 Persons against 431,848 Persons in Spain, a difference of 246,618 Persons.

That makes France's figure about 1.6 times Spain's.

Across all 30 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.

France ranks 4th and Spain ranks 6th of 30 countries.

France has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Spain Difference Ahead
1980s 330,044 Persons 99,819 Persons 230,225 Persons France
1990s 356,212 Persons 128,898 Persons 227,314 Persons France
2000s 435,553 Persons 288,249 Persons 147,304 Persons France
2010s 583,976 Persons 347,406 Persons 236,569 Persons France
2020s 672,025 Persons 407,114 Persons 264,912 Persons France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel, France or Spain?
France, at 678,466 Persons against 431,848 Persons in Spain as of 2023.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel between France and Spain?
246,618 Persons, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Spain?
30 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
How do France and Spain rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel?
France ranks 4th and Spain ranks 6th of 30 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs Spain: R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-function-r-and-d-personnel-total-economy/france/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
42 places, 1,049 data points, 1981–2024
Last refreshed

This table contains research and development (R&D) personnel statistics. Number of R&D personnel is provided in both headcounts and full-time equivalent on R&D by sex, sector of employment (business enterprise, government, higher education, and private non-profit) and by function (researchers, technicians and other support staff).