How many particle accelerators are currently in operation around the world?

There are currently more than 30,000 particle accelerators in operation around the world. They are all over the place, doing a variety of jobs. They may be best known for their role in particle physics research, but their other talents include: creating tumor-destroying beams to fight cancer; killing bacteria to prevent food-borne illnesses; developing better materials to produce more effective diapers and shrink wrap; helping scientists improve fuel injection to make more efficient vehicles; etc.

Large accelerators are used in particle physics as colliders. Smaller particle accelerators are used in a wide variety of applications, including particle therapy for oncological purposes, radioisotope production for medical diagnostics, ion implanters for manufacture of semiconductors, and accelerator mass spectrometers for measurements of rare isotopes such as radiocarbon. So, the total number of particle accelerators in operation in the world now exceed more than 30,000.