Kuwait: Technicians in R&D (per million people)

Key figures

Since 1997 it is down 6.87% from 48.53 in 1997 (0.34% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 1 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Kuwait's technicians in R&D (per million people) fell 5.74 on 2017 (from 50.94 to 45.2).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2017), the average change was −2.22 and a typical year strayed about 3.93 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 3.27 in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.28 in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.63 a year. A straight line explains 38% of the movement over 9 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 2018, Kuwait had the 18th highest value of the 22 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 Kuwait in the 2018 ranking

• Moldova — 15th of 22: 60.41
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 16th of 22: 50.93
• Uzbekistan — 17th of 22: 48.07
• Iraq — 19th of 22: 22.98
• Madagascar — 20th of 22: 12.6
• Guatemala — 21st of 22: 10.96

What this measures

The number of technicians participated in Research & Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Technicians and equivalent staff are people who perform scientific and technical tasks involving the application of concepts and operational methods, normally under the supervision of researchers. 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 21 values

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

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 369.56 (2018)
• Iraq — 22.98 (2018)
• Malta — 885.98 (2017)

More infrastructure data for Kuwait

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 572,621 (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 11.83 (2023)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 68,356 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 331.17 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 9.5 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 8.11 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 167.68 (2023)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 5.96% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 100% (2025)
• Scientific and technical journal articles

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 Kuwait's technicians in R&D (per million people)?

45.2 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 6.87% from 48.53 in 1997 (0.34% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 61.99 in 2014 and the lowest 19.71 in 2012.

How does Kuwait rank?

18th highest of 22 economies with data for 2018.

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

In 2018, Kuwait's technicians in R&D (per million people) fell 5.74 on 2017 (from 50.94 to 45.2). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2017), the average change was −2.22 and a typical year strayed about 3.93 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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.TECH.RD.P6, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: http://uis.unesco.org, note: Data as of March 2021, publisher: UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) 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.