Fewer young scientists are aiming for a doctorate

In Saxony, the number of young scientists pursuing a doctorate is falling. Last year, 1,246 men and women successfully obtained their doctorate. This was 14.2 percent fewer than in the previous year, according to the State Statistical Office. A total of 12,700 people were in an ongoing doctoral procedure last year - 6.6 percent fewer than in 2022. The proportion of women was just under half (48.2 percent) and the average age was 32.7 years. In addition, more than one in five prospective doctoral students (22.9 percent) were foreign nationals.

When looking at the individual subject groups, human medicine and health sciences dominate with a share of almost a third (31.8 percent). They are followed by engineering (22.5) and mathematics and natural sciences (18.9).