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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Iceland's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 911.03 on 2022 (from 6,864 to 5,953).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2022), the average change was +276.78 and a typical year strayed about 696.81 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1,647 in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 911.03 in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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, Iceland had the 11th 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 Iceland in the 2023 ranking

• Switzerland — 8th of 43: 6,108
• Belgium — 9th of 43: 5,990
• Portugal — 10th of 43: 5,983
• Germany — 12th of 43: 5,926
• Ireland — 13th of 43: 5,753
• Slovenia — 14th of 43: 5,616

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 18 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)
• Croatia — 2,440 (2023)
• Cyprus — 1,686 (2023)
• Czechia — 4,505 (2023)
• Denmark — 8,838 (2023)
• Estonia — 4,800 (2023)
• Finland — 8,315 (2023)

More infrastructure data for Iceland

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 68,518 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 17.42 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 37,800 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 191.91 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 4.34 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 475,724 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 120.93 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 38 (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 5 (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population)

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 Iceland's researchers in R&D (per million people)?

5,953 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is up 79.25% from 3,321 in 1996 (2.18% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 7,999 in 2006 and the lowest 3,321 in 1996.

How does Iceland rank?

11th highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

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

In 2023, Iceland's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 911.03 on 2022 (from 6,864 to 5,953). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2022), the average change was +276.78 and a typical year strayed about 696.81 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.