R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel in Belgium

Belgium: R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel was 164,518 Persons in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
164,518 Persons
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
8th
of 30 countries
All-time high
164,518 Persons
in 2023
All-time low
73,187 Persons
in 2002
Years of data
16
2002–2023

R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel in Belgium, 2002–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k2002201220232002: 73.2k Persons2003: 73.6k Persons2004: 76.3k Persons2005: 78.5k Persons2006: 80.5k Persons2007: 83.5k Persons2008: 86.7k Persons2009: 88.8k Persons2010: 88.8k Persons2011: 94.4k Persons2013: 100.4k Persons2015: 113.6k Persons2017: 129.0k Persons2019: 148.1k Persons2021: 159.0k Persons2023: 164.5k Persons

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

Analysis

Belgium recorded 164,518 Persons for r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel in 2023. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and up 63.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel in Belgium peaked at 164,518 Persons in 2023 and was at its lowest, 73,187 Persons, in 2002.

Belgium ranks 8th of 30 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance and function — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Belgium, 2002 to 2023.
Year Persons Change
2002 73,187 Persons
2003 73,629 Persons +0.6%
2004 76,340 Persons +3.7%
2005 78,509 Persons +2.8%
2006 80,538 Persons +2.6%
2007 83,540 Persons +3.7%
2008 86,746 Persons +3.8%
2009 88,770 Persons +2.3%
2010 88,803 Persons +0.0%
2011 94,424 Persons +6.3%
2013 100,423 Persons +6.4%
2015 113,576 Persons +13.1%
2017 129,002 Persons +13.6%
2019 148,062 Persons +14.8%
2021 159,005 Persons +7.4%
2023 164,518 Persons +3.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 80,157 Persons 73,187 Persons 88,770 Persons 8
2010s 112,382 Persons 88,803 Persons 148,062 Persons 6
2020s 161,762 Persons 159,005 Persons 164,518 Persons 2

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 5 Poland 326,075 Persons compare
  2. 5 Italy 518,829 Persons compare
  3. 6 Netherlands 260,716 Persons compare
  4. 6 Spain 431,848 Persons compare
  5. 7 Chinese Taipei 388,265 Persons compare
  6. 8 Croatia 28,059 Persons compare
  7. 9 Lithuania 25,940 Persons compare
  8. 9 Portugal 163,630 Persons compare
  9. 10 Slovenia 25,863 Persons compare
  10. 10 Austria 154,827 Persons compare
  11. 11 Switzerland 149,651 Persons compare
  12. 11 Latvia 14,073 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel in Belgium?
R&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel in Belgium was 164,518 Persons in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 164,518 Persons in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 73,187 Persons in 2002.
How does Belgium rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel?
Belgium ranks 8th out of 30 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance and function — r&d personnel rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium 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 function — 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 function — R&D Personnel in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-function-r-and-d-personnel-total-economy/belgium/

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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).