R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in Japan

Japan: R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D was 1.18 million Persons in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
1.18 million Persons
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
1st
of 25 countries
All-time high
1.19 million Persons
in 2014
All-time low
1.03 million Persons
in 2002
Years of data
16
2001–2016

R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in Japan, 2001–2016

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M2001200820162001: 1.1M Persons2002: 1.0M Persons2003: 1.1M Persons2004: 1.1M Persons2005: 1.1M Persons2006: 1.1M Persons2007: 1.2M Persons2008: 1.2M Persons2009: 1.2M Persons2010: 1.2M Persons2011: 1.1M Persons2012: 1.1M Persons2013: 1.1M Persons2014: 1.2M Persons2015: 1.2M Persons2016: 1.2M Persons

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 1.18 million Persons for r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in 2016.

That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in Japan peaked at 1.19 million Persons in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1.03 million Persons, in 2002.

That places Japan 1st out of 25 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D in Japan, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Japan, 2001 to 2016.
Year Persons Change
2001 1.05 million Persons
2002 1.03 million Persons -1.7%
2003 1.08 million Persons +4.7%
2004 1.10 million Persons +1.4%
2005 1.12 million Persons +2.4%
2006 1.15 million Persons +2.3%
2007 1.16 million Persons +0.8%
2008 1.16 million Persons +0.2%
2009 1.15 million Persons -0.6%
2010 1.16 million Persons +0.6%
2011 1.15 million Persons -1.2%
2012 1.13 million Persons -1.1%
2013 1.14 million Persons +0.7%
2014 1.19 million Persons +4.3%
2015 1.18 million Persons -0.6%
2016 1.18 million Persons -0.1%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 1.18 million Persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 132,622 Persons, 8.9× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.11 million Persons 1.03 million Persons 1.16 million Persons 9
2010s 1.16 million Persons 1.13 million Persons 1.19 million Persons 7

Countries ranked near Japan

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

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in Japan?
R&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d in Japan was 1.18 million Persons in 2016, 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 1.19 million Persons in 2014.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.03 million Persons in 2002.
How does Japan rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d?
Japan ranks 1st out of 25 countries with data for 2016.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance and formal qualification — r&d rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. 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/japan/

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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).