New Zealand: Researchers in R&D (per million people)

Key figures

Since 1997 it is up 147.05% from 2,200 in 1997 (3.54% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 13 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2023, New Zealand had the 16th 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 New Zealand in the 2023 ranking

• Ireland — 13th of 43: 5,753
• Slovenia — 14th of 43: 5,616
• Japan — 15th of 43: 5,609
• France — 17th of 43: 5,369
• Luxembourg — 18th of 43: 5,359
• Greece — 19th of 43: 5,283

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 14 values

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

• China — 2,107 (2023)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 5,874 (2024)
• Japan — 5,609 (2023)
• Korea, Rep. — 9,472 (2023)
• Macao SAR, China — 4,634 (2024)
• Malaysia — 1,218 (2022)
• Myanmar — 28.01 (2023)
• Philippines — 320.28 (2020)
• Singapore — 8,782 (2022)
• Thailand — 1,592 (2023)

More infrastructure data for New Zealand

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 564,000 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 10.82 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 178,457 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 767.76 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 15.03 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 6.78 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 130.09 (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 5,684 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 278 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

5,435 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 147.05% from 2,200 in 1997 (3.54% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 5,665 in 2019 and the lowest 2,200 in 1997.

How does New Zealand rank?

16th highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

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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