North Macedonia: Researchers in R&D (per million people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, North Macedonia's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 34.4 on 2023 (from 922.47 to 888.07).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was +12.17 and a typical year strayed about 81.5 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 191.57 in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 123.67 in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, North Macedonia had the 10th highest value of the 18 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 North Macedonia in the 2024 ranking

• Tunisia — 6th of 18: 1,668
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 7th of 18: 1,120
• Uruguay — 8th of 18: 937.57
• Kazakhstan — 10th of 18: 758.01
• Oman — 11th of 18: 739.41
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 12th of 18: 705.16

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 28 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 North Macedonia

• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 1.98 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 108.39 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 456,183 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 25.02 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 63.97% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 93.1% (2025)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$764.41 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 21.52% (2025)
• Research and development expenditure (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

888.07 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 46.54% from 606.01 in 1997 (1.43% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 922.47 in 2023 and the lowest 432.45 in 2009.

How does North Macedonia rank?

10th highest of 18 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, North Macedonia's researchers in R&D (per million people) fell 34.4 on 2023 (from 922.47 to 888.07). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was +12.17 and a typical year strayed about 81.5 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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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