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

27 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2019.

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.

Italy vs Spain: R&D personnel by sector of performance and major field of R&D — R&D

Italy

544,094 Persons

in 2019

Spain

377,862 Persons

in 2019

Italy rank

3rd

Spain rank

5th

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

Italy
Spain

How they compare

Italy currently reports 544,094 Persons against 377,862 Persons in Spain, a difference of 166,232 Persons.

That makes Italy's figure about 1.4 times Spain's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 27 shared years of data; in 1988 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 3rd and Spain ranks 5th of 23 countries.

Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Italy	Spain	Difference	Ahead
1980s	173,326 Persons	93,808 Persons	79,518 Persons	Italy
1990s	186,057 Persons	132,194 Persons	53,863 Persons	Italy
2000s	295,599 Persons	290,788 Persons	4,811 Persons	Italy
2010s	418,140 Persons	350,452 Persons	67,688 Persons	Italy

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, Italy or Spain?: Italy, at 544,094 Persons against 377,862 Persons in Spain as of 2019.
What is the difference in r&d personnel by sector of performance and major field of r&d — r&d between Italy and Spain?: 166,232 Persons, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?: 27 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2019.
How do Italy and Spain rank globally for r&d personnel by sector of performance and major field of r&d — r&d?: Italy ranks 3rd and Spain ranks 5th 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.

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Italy vs Spain: 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/italy/spain/

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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: 21 August 2026

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).