Ireland vs South Africa: R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D

Ireland
50,662 Persons
in 2019
South Africa
40,008 Persons
in 2001
Ireland rank
19th
South Africa rank
21st

R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D over time

  • Ireland
  • South Africa
10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k198120002019

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 50,662 Persons against 40,008 Persons in South Africa, a difference of 10,654 Persons.

That makes Ireland's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.

Across all 6 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Ireland ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 21st of 23 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Ireland South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 7,538 Persons 34,400 Persons 26,862 Persons South Africa
1990s 10,704 Persons 33,993 Persons 23,288 Persons South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher r&d personnel by sector of performance and major field of r&d — r&d, Ireland or South Africa?
Ireland, at 50,662 Persons against 40,008 Persons in South Africa as of 2019.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance and major field of r&d — r&d between Ireland and South Africa?
10,654 Persons, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Africa?
6 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 1993.
How do Ireland and South Africa rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance and major field of r&d — r&d?
Ireland ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 21st of 23 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Ireland vs South Africa: R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-major-field-of-r-and-d-r-and-d-personnel/ireland/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-major-field-of-r-and-d-r-and-d-personnel/ireland/south-africa/">Ireland vs South Africa: R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
32 places, 610 data points, 1981–2023
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 field of research (natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agricultural and veterinary sciences, social sciences, and humanities and the arts).