R&D spending share of GDP in Iceland
Spending on research and development in Iceland was equal to 2.16% of GDP in 2025. The value for 2025 is the lowest since 2018.
The latest value carries the source flag “Provisional”.
Iceland, 2025
2.16%p (Provisional)
Change from 2024
−0.31percentage points
European Union, 2024
2.26%e (Estimated)
Median of OECD (38 countries), 2025
1.85%
R&D spending share of GDP in Iceland over time
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Iceland
European Union
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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: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.
| Period | Iceland | European Union |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.16%p (provisional) | – |
| 2024 | 2.47% | 2.26%e (estimated) |
| 2023 | 2.62% | 2.25%e (estimated) |
| 2022 | 2.56% | 2.22%e (estimated) |
| 2021 | 2.73% | 2.24%e (estimated) |
| 2020 | 2.44% | 2.28%e (estimated) |
| 2019 | 2.31% | 2.21%e (estimated) |
| 2018 | 1.97% | 2.17%e (estimated) |
| 2017 | 2.06% | 2.14% |
| 2016 | 2.08% | 2.10%e (estimated) |
| 2015 | 2.16% | 2.10% |
| 2014 | 1.92% | 2.09%e (estimated) |
| 2013 | 1.68%b (break in time series) | 2.08%e (estimated) |
| 2012 | – | 2.06%e (estimated) |
| 2011 | 2.38%be (break in time series, estimated) | 2.00%e (estimated) |
| 2010 | – | 1.96%e (estimated) |
| 2009 | 2.59% | 1.96%e (estimated) |
| 2008 | 2.44% | 1.87%e (estimated) |
| 2007 | 2.50% | 1.79%e (estimated) |
| 2006 | 2.82% | 1.80%e (estimated) |
| 2005 | 2.63% | 1.78%e (estimated) |
| 2004 | – | 1.79%e (estimated) |
| 2003 | 2.67% | 1.82%e (estimated) |
| 2002 | 2.79%e (estimated) | 1.83%e (estimated) |
| 2001 | 2.81% | 1.82%e (estimated) |
Flags: e estimated; be break in time series, estimated; b break in time series; p provisional . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of −0.31 percentage points from 2.47% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 2.16%, the figure has changed by 0 percentage points.
More for Iceland
All statistics for Iceland
R&D spending share of GDP
2.64%
2023 · World Bank
Researchers per million people
5,953 per million people
2023 · World Bank
Researchers as a share of the labour force
1.10%
2023 · Eurostat
European patent applications
195.2p (Provisional) per million people
2025 · Eurostat
Scientific and technical journal articles
716 articles
2023 · World Bank