Croatia: Researchers in R&D (per million people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Croatia's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 94.15 on 2022 (from 2,534 to 2,440).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +61.51 and a typical year strayed about 218.43 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 441.65 in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 629.67 in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 122.61 a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Croatia had the 30th highest value of the 43 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Croatia in the 2023 ranking

• Slovak Republic — 26th of 43: 3,507
• Italy — 27th of 43: 2,855
• Türkiye — 28th of 43: 2,645
• Bulgaria — 30th of 43: 2,401
• Malta — 31st of 43: 2,355
• Latvia — 32nd of 43: 2,191

What this measures

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.

Limitations: Estimates of the resources allocated to R&D are affected by national characteristics such as the periodicity and coverage of national R&D surveys across institutional sectors and industries; and the use of different sampling and estimation methods. R&D typically involves a few large performers, hence R&D surveys use various techniques to maintain up-to-date registers of known performers, while attempting to identify new or occasional performers.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 26 values

Researchers in R&D (per million people) in nearby economies

• Austria — 6,634 (2023)
• Belgium — 5,990 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 705.16 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 2,401 (2023)
• Cyprus — 1,686 (2023)
• Czechia — 4,505 (2023)
• Denmark — 8,838 (2023)
• Estonia — 4,800 (2023)
• Finland — 8,315 (2023)
• France — 5,369 (2023)

More infrastructure data for Croatia

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.1 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 28.46 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 4.72 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 121.73 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 48.81% (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$2.24 billion (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 8.39% (2025)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 6 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 62 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Croatia's researchers in R&D (per million people)?

2,440 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is up 130.6% from 1,058 in 1998 (3.4% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2,534 in 2022 and the lowest 1,058 in 1998.

How does Croatia rank?

30th highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in researchers in R&D (per million people) unusual for Croatia?

In 2023, Croatia's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 94.15 on 2022 (from 2,534 to 2,440). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2022), the average change was +61.51 and a typical year strayed about 218.43 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.POP.SCIE.RD.P6, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources/bulk, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), date accessed: 2025-03-26, date published: 2025-02 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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