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

Key figures

Since 1998 it is down 79.89% from 62.67 in 1998 (7.71% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 4 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2018, Madagascar's technicians in R&D (per million people) rose 1.85 on 2017 (from 10.75 to 12.6).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2017), the average change was −3.91 and a typical year strayed about 9.62 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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 10.4 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.36 in 2001. 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 2018, Madagascar had the 20th 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 Madagascar in the 2018 ranking

• Uzbekistan — 17th of 22: 48.07
• Kuwait — 18th of 22: 45.2
• Iraq — 19th of 22: 22.98
• Guatemala — 21st of 22: 10.96
• Togo — 22nd of 22: 3.62

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 17 values

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

• South Africa — 129.51 (2017)
• Togo — 3.62 (2018)

More infrastructure data for Madagascar

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 3,413 (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 0.01 (2023)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 5,367 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 2.49 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 313,313 (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 23.54 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 75.46 (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$353.26 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 21.26% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Madagascar's technicians in R&D (per million people)?

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

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 79.89% from 62.67 in 1998 (7.71% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 62.67 in 1998 and the lowest 9.83 in 2004.

How does Madagascar rank?

20th highest of 22 economies with data for 2018.

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

In 2018, Madagascar's technicians in R&D (per million people) rose 1.85 on 2017 (from 10.75 to 12.6). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2017), the average change was −3.91 and a typical year strayed about 9.62 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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.

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