R&D spending share of GDP in European Union
Spending on research and development in the European Union was equal to 2.26% of GDP in 2023.
European Union is a group: European Union, 27 member states (composition from February 2020). The value is the aggregate published by World Bank, not an average calculated on this site.
European Union, 2023
2.26%
Change from 2022
+0.04percentage points
World, 2023
2.60%
R&D spending share of GDP in European Union over time
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European Union
World
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The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of GDP. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | European Union | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.26% | 2.60% |
| 2022 | 2.23% | 2.57% |
| 2021 | 2.24% | 2.52% |
| 2020 | 2.28% | 2.46% |
| 2019 | 2.21% | 2.26% |
| 2018 | 2.17% | 2.22% |
| 2017 | 2.14% | 2.14% |
| 2016 | 2.10% | 2.15% |
| 2015 | 2.10% | 2.10% |
| 2014 | 2.10% | 2.09% |
| 2013 | 2.08% | 1.98% |
| 2012 | 2.06% | 2.01% |
| 2011 | 2.00% | 1.98% |
| 2010 | 1.96% | 2.00% |
| 2009 | 1.96% | 2.01% |
| 2008 | 1.87% | 1.98% |
| 2007 | 1.79% | 1.92% |
| 2006 | 1.80% | 1.96% |
| 2005 | 1.78% | 1.95% |
| 2004 | 1.79% | 1.97% |
| 2003 | 1.82% | 2.02% |
| 2002 | 1.79% | 2.03% |
| 2001 | 1.82% | 2.06% |
| 2000 | 1.76% | 2.05% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- That is a change of +0.04 percentage points from 2.23% in 2022.
- Since 2013, when it was 2.08%, the figure has changed by +0.18 percentage points.
- The figure for the world in 2023 was 2.60%.
More for European Union
All statistics for European Union
R&D spending share of GDP
2.26%e (Estimated)
2024 · Eurostat
Researchers per million people
4,741 per million people
2023 · World Bank
Researchers as a share of the labour force
1.04%e (Estimated)
2024 · Eurostat
European patent applications
152.6ep (Source flag ep) per million people
2025 · Eurostat
Scientific and technical journal articles
558,077 articles
2023 · World Bank