R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in China (People's Republic of)

China (People's Republic of): R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D was 10.23 million Persons in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
10.23 million Persons
Change on year
up 8.8%
Rank
1st
of 9 groups
All-time high
10.23 million Persons
in 2023
All-time low
3.18 million Persons
in 2009
Years of data
15
2009–2023

R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in China (People's Republic of), 2009–2023

4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M2009201620232009: 3.2M Persons2010: 3.5M Persons2011: 4.0M Persons2012: 4.6M Persons2013: 5.0M Persons2014: 5.4M Persons2015: 5.5M Persons2016: 5.8M Persons2017: 6.2M Persons2018: 6.6M Persons2019: 7.1M Persons2020: 7.6M Persons2021: 8.6M Persons2022: 9.4M Persons2023: 10.2M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

The most recent figure for r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in China (People's Republic of) is 10.23 million Persons, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 8.8% on the previous year and up 103.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in China (People's Republic of) peaked at 10.23 million Persons in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.18 million Persons, in 2009.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in China (People's Republic of), year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy) in China (People's Republic of), 2009 to 2023.
Year Persons Change
2009 3.18 million Persons
2010 3.54 million Persons +11.3%
2011 4.02 million Persons +13.4%
2012 4.62 million Persons +14.9%
2013 5.02 million Persons +8.7%
2014 5.35 million Persons +6.6%
2015 5.48 million Persons +2.4%
2016 5.83 million Persons +6.4%
2017 6.21 million Persons +6.6%
2018 6.57 million Persons +5.8%
2019 7.13 million Persons +8.5%
2020 7.55 million Persons +5.9%
2021 8.58 million Persons +13.6%
2022 9.40 million Persons +9.6%
2023 10.23 million Persons +8.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.18 million Persons 3.18 million Persons 3.18 million Persons 1
2010s 5.38 million Persons 3.54 million Persons 7.13 million Persons 10
2020s 8.94 million Persons 7.55 million Persons 10.23 million Persons 4

Countries ranked near China (People's Republic of)

  1. 1 Japan 1.18 million Persons compare
  2. 2 Türkiye 418,603 Persons compare
  3. 2 Russian Federation 682,464 Persons compare
  4. 3 Italy 518,829 Persons compare
  5. 3 Poland 321,391 Persons compare
  6. 4 Spain 431,848 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for China (People's Republic of)

All data for China (People's Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in China (People's Republic of)?
R&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in China (People's Republic of) was 10.23 million Persons in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d recorded in China (People's Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 10.23 million Persons in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d recorded in China (People's Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 3.18 million Persons in 2009.
How does China (People's Republic of) rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d?
China (People's Republic of) ranks 1st out of 9 groups with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d rising or falling in China (People's Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is up 103.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China (People's Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in China (People's Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-formal-qualification-r-and-d-personnel/china-people-s-republic-of/

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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

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).