GITNUXREPORT 2025

Scientific Industry Statistics

Global scientific industry thrives, growing rapidly through AI, collaboration, and innovation.

Jannik Linder

Co-Founder of Gitnux, specialized in content and tech since 2016.

First published: April 29, 2025

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Statistic 1

The number of researchers per million inhabitants varies greatly, with South Korea at over 700 and Nigeria below 50

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North America accounts for roughly 50% of global scientific publication citations

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Women comprise approximately 30% of all researchers worldwide

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The scientific industry employs over 50 million people worldwide, including academia, industry, and government labs

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The global science and technology workforce is expected to grow by 10% annually through 2030

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Over 60% of scientific research in developing countries is funded by international agencies

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The global scientific research market is valued at approximately $2.4 trillion as of 2023

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The United States accounts for about 40% of global scientific research funding

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The number of active research and development (R&D) personnel globally exceeded 8 million in 2022

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The biotech sector worldwide is projected to reach a value of $1.3 trillion by 2025

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The global AI in scientific research market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 40% through 2030

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Nano science and technology funding globally surpassed $3 billion in 2022

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The global market for scientific instrumentation is forecasted to reach $84 billion by 2027

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The pharma R&D expenditure worldwide is over $190 billion annually

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The global scientific publishing industry is worth approximately $25 billion annually

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The global market for robotics in laboratories is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2025

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Scientific funding from private sources (such as foundations and industry grants) accounts for approximately 35% of total research funding globally

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The global artificial intelligence market for scientific research is projected to reach $5 billion by 2027

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The amount of funding allocated specifically for renewable energy research increased by 25% in 2022

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Approximately 65% of scientific research funding in Europe comes from public sources

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The number of scientific conferences held annually exceeds 60,000 globally

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The average grant size for scientific research in the US is approximately $250,000 per year

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In 2022, over 2.3 million scientific journal articles were published worldwide

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Asia contributes approximately 55% of the world's scientific publications

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The number of patents filed worldwide reached 3.2 million in 2023

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Over 70% of scientific research papers are published in peer-reviewed journals

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Around 30% of scientific articles are openly accessible as of 2023

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The fastest-growing scientific discipline is data science, with a growth rate of around 25% annually

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The number of scientific journals has increased by over 50% since 2010, reaching more than 35,000 titles

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The average time from research completion to publication has decreased to approximately 6 months in top journals

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The top three countries by scientific publication output are China, the United States, and India, in that order

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The number of scientific collaborations across borders increased by 70% between 2010 and 2022

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Environmental sciences constitute roughly 20% of all scientific research publications

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The average number of citations per scientific paper globally increased to 13.4 in 2022

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The percentage of scientific articles that are retracted within 5 years of publication is around 1%

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Approximately 80% of all scientific data generated is stored digitally

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The number of scientific patents filed annually is roughly 5% higher than the number of patents that are granted

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The top five scientific publishers account for over 50% of all scientific articles published

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The fastest-growing scientific subfield in recent years is quantum computing, with growth rates over 30% annually

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The number of open-access scientific journals has doubled since 2010, now representing over 50% of scientific publications

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The number of scientific publications related to climate change increased by over 150% between 2010 and 2022

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The average peer review process duration for high-impact journals has decreased to around 2 months

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The proportion of female authors among all scientific publications increased by 15% from 2010 to 2022

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The number of scientific articles related to COVID-19 exceeded 2 million by 2021

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The number of interdisciplinary scientific publications increased by 65% between 2010 and 2022

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The average age of scientific research data sets published publicly is around 3 years

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The percentage of scientific papers available in open repositories increased by 50% from 2010 to 2022

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The number of scientific publications incorporating machine learning techniques doubled between 2018 and 2022

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The use of artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discoveries increased by over 60% between 2020 and 2022

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The use of blockchain technology in scientific data sharing increased by 45% between 2021 and 2023

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Key Highlights

The global scientific research market is valued at approximately $2.4 trillion as of 2023
The United States accounts for about 40% of global scientific research funding
In 2022, over 2.3 million scientific journal articles were published worldwide
The number of active research and development (R&D) personnel globally exceeded 8 million in 2022
Asia contributes approximately 55% of the world's scientific publications
The number of patents filed worldwide reached 3.2 million in 2023
The biotech sector worldwide is projected to reach a value of $1.3 trillion by 2025
Approximately 65% of scientific research funding in Europe comes from public sources
The number of scientific conferences held annually exceeds 60,000 globally
The global AI in scientific research market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 40% through 2030
Nano science and technology funding globally surpassed $3 billion in 2022
The global market for scientific instrumentation is forecasted to reach $84 billion by 2027
Over 70% of scientific research papers are published in peer-reviewed journals

The scientific industry is powering a global revolution worth over $2.4 trillion, driven by rapid advances in AI, climate research, and groundbreaking innovations across disciplines worldwide.

Geographical Distribution and Demographics

The number of researchers per million inhabitants varies greatly, with South Korea at over 700 and Nigeria below 50
North America accounts for roughly 50% of global scientific publication citations
Women comprise approximately 30% of all researchers worldwide
The scientific industry employs over 50 million people worldwide, including academia, industry, and government labs
The global science and technology workforce is expected to grow by 10% annually through 2030
Over 60% of scientific research in developing countries is funded by international agencies

Geographical Distribution and Demographics Interpretation

While some nations boast a researcher-to-inhabitant ratio surpassing 700, and North America dominates citation counts, the global science workforce—comprising over 50 million people, with women making up just 30%, and heavily reliant on international funding—reminds us that science is a truly collaborative yet unevenly distributed enterprise heading into a future where its workforce grows 10% annually.

Global Market and Investment in Science

The global scientific research market is valued at approximately $2.4 trillion as of 2023
The United States accounts for about 40% of global scientific research funding
The number of active research and development (R&D) personnel globally exceeded 8 million in 2022
The biotech sector worldwide is projected to reach a value of $1.3 trillion by 2025
The global AI in scientific research market was valued at $1.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 40% through 2030
Nano science and technology funding globally surpassed $3 billion in 2022
The global market for scientific instrumentation is forecasted to reach $84 billion by 2027
The pharma R&D expenditure worldwide is over $190 billion annually
The global scientific publishing industry is worth approximately $25 billion annually
The global market for robotics in laboratories is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2025
Scientific funding from private sources (such as foundations and industry grants) accounts for approximately 35% of total research funding globally
The global artificial intelligence market for scientific research is projected to reach $5 billion by 2027
The amount of funding allocated specifically for renewable energy research increased by 25% in 2022

Global Market and Investment in Science Interpretation

With a research industry valued at over $2.4 trillion in 2023, driven by the US's hefty 40% stake, a global R&D workforce exceeding 8 million, and a biotech sector soaring to $1.3 trillion by 2025, it’s clear that science is not only expanding at a breakneck pace—especially in AI, nanotech, and renewable energy—but also becoming a high-stakes competitive game where private funding now fuels roughly a third of the innovation engine.

Research Infrastructure, Collaboration, and Data Management

Approximately 65% of scientific research funding in Europe comes from public sources
The number of scientific conferences held annually exceeds 60,000 globally
The average grant size for scientific research in the US is approximately $250,000 per year

Research Infrastructure, Collaboration, and Data Management Interpretation

With over 60,000 conferences worldwide fueling innovation, a typical American grant of $250,000 keeps the scientific wheels turning, all while Europe's reliance on public funding underscores the vital role of taxpayer support in fueling global discovery.

Research Output and Publication Trends

In 2022, over 2.3 million scientific journal articles were published worldwide
Asia contributes approximately 55% of the world's scientific publications
The number of patents filed worldwide reached 3.2 million in 2023
Over 70% of scientific research papers are published in peer-reviewed journals
Around 30% of scientific articles are openly accessible as of 2023
The fastest-growing scientific discipline is data science, with a growth rate of around 25% annually
The number of scientific journals has increased by over 50% since 2010, reaching more than 35,000 titles
The average time from research completion to publication has decreased to approximately 6 months in top journals
The top three countries by scientific publication output are China, the United States, and India, in that order
The number of scientific collaborations across borders increased by 70% between 2010 and 2022
Environmental sciences constitute roughly 20% of all scientific research publications
The average number of citations per scientific paper globally increased to 13.4 in 2022
The percentage of scientific articles that are retracted within 5 years of publication is around 1%
Approximately 80% of all scientific data generated is stored digitally
The number of scientific patents filed annually is roughly 5% higher than the number of patents that are granted
The top five scientific publishers account for over 50% of all scientific articles published
The fastest-growing scientific subfield in recent years is quantum computing, with growth rates over 30% annually
The number of open-access scientific journals has doubled since 2010, now representing over 50% of scientific publications
The number of scientific publications related to climate change increased by over 150% between 2010 and 2022
The average peer review process duration for high-impact journals has decreased to around 2 months
The proportion of female authors among all scientific publications increased by 15% from 2010 to 2022
The number of scientific articles related to COVID-19 exceeded 2 million by 2021
The number of interdisciplinary scientific publications increased by 65% between 2010 and 2022
The average age of scientific research data sets published publicly is around 3 years
The percentage of scientific papers available in open repositories increased by 50% from 2010 to 2022
The number of scientific publications incorporating machine learning techniques doubled between 2018 and 2022

Research Output and Publication Trends Interpretation

With over 2.3 million articles published in 2022—more than half from Asia—and a burgeoning 35,000-plus journals accelerating discoveries, it's clear that science is racing at warp speed, especially in data science and quantum computing, while the push for openness has doubled open-access papers, yet only 1% face retraction—proof that even amidst a publication avalanche, quality remains paramount.

Technological Integration and Innovation in Science

The use of artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific discoveries increased by over 60% between 2020 and 2022
The use of blockchain technology in scientific data sharing increased by 45% between 2021 and 2023

Technological Integration and Innovation in Science Interpretation

As AI accelerates scientific breakthroughs at a staggering rate, and blockchain fortifies data sharing with newfound security, the scientific community is clearly riding the twin engines of innovation and trust into a future where discovery is faster and more trustworthy than ever.