Research and development expenditure (UNESCO)
Gross domestic spending on research and development by business, government, higher education and private non-profit organisations, as a percentage of GDP.
84 countries have a value for 2023, the latest period with data for most countries. Some countries have newer figures; see the ranking below for each country's latest year.
Trend over time
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 | World | United States | China | India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.60% | 3.45% | 2.58% | – |
| 2022 | 2.57% | 3.49% | 2.49% | – |
| 2021 | 2.52% | 3.47% | 2.38% | – |
| 2020 | 2.46% | 3.42% | 2.36% | 0.65% |
| 2019 | 2.26% | 3.14% | 2.20% | 0.66% |
| 2018 | 2.22% | 2.99% | 2.10% | 0.66% |
| 2017 | 2.14% | 2.88% | 2.08% | 0.67% |
| 2016 | 2.15% | 2.84% | 2.06% | 0.67% |
| 2015 | 2.10% | 2.77% | 2.02% | 0.69% |
| 2014 | 2.09% | 2.71% | 1.98% | 0.70% |
| 2013 | 1.98% | 2.70% | 1.96% | 0.71% |
| 2012 | 2.01% | 2.67% | 1.88% | 0.74% |
| 2011 | 1.98% | 2.74% | 1.75% | 0.76% |
| 2010 | 2.00% | 2.71% | 1.68% | 0.79% |
| 2009 | 2.01% | 2.79% | 1.64% | 0.83% |
| 2008 | 1.98% | 2.74% | 1.42% | 0.86% |
| 2007 | 1.92% | 2.62% | 1.35% | 0.81% |
| 2006 | 1.96% | 2.55% | 1.35% | 0.80% |
| 2005 | 1.95% | 2.50% | 1.29% | 0.82% |
| 2004 | 1.97% | 2.49% | 1.20% | 0.76% |
| 2003 | 2.02% | 2.55% | 1.10% | 0.72% |
| 2002 | 2.03% | 2.55% | 1.04% | 0.73% |
| 2001 | 2.06% | 2.64% | 0.93% | 0.74% |
| 2000 | 2.05% | 2.62% | 0.88% | 0.76% |
A dash means no value was published for that period.
In short
- Among the 84 countries with a value for 2023, the highest is Israel (6.35%) and the lowest Guatemala (0.01%).
- Half of the countries are above 0.81% and half below.
- From 2022 to 2023 the value rose in 34 countries and fell in 13.
- The figure for the world was 2.60% in 2023, against 2.22% in 2018 (+0.38 percentage points).
About this measure
Source and dates
All countries in 2023 Every value is for 2023, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.
- 1 Israel 6.35%
- 2 Liechtenstein 6.01%
- 3 South Korea 4.94%
- 4 Sweden 3.60%
- 5 United States 3.45%
- 6 Japan 3.44%
- 7 Belgium 3.27%
- 8 Austria 3.26%
- 9 Switzerland 3.22%
- 10 Germany 3.15%
- 11 Finland 3.09%
- 12 Denmark 3.05%
- 13 United Kingdom 2.68%
- 14 Iceland 2.64%
- 15 China 2.58%
- 16 Netherlands 2.27%
- 17 France 2.18%
- 18 Slovenia 2.13%
- 19 Norway 1.85%
- 20 Estonia 1.84%
- 21 Czechia 1.83%
- 22 Canada 1.81%
- 23 Portugal 1.69%
- 24 Ireland 1.59%
- 25 Poland 1.56%
- 26 New Zealand 1.55%
- 27 Greece 1.49%
- 28 Spain 1.49%
- 29 Türkiye 1.42%
- 30 Croatia 1.39%
- 31 Italy 1.38%
- 32 Hungary 1.38%
- 33 Brazil 1.19%
- 34 Hong Kong SAR, China 1.11%
- 35 Luxembourg 1.07%
- 36 Lithuania 1.05%
- 37 Slovakia 1.03%
- 38 Egypt 1.03%
- 39 Thailand 0.94%
- 40 Russia 0.94%
- 41 Serbia 0.88%
- 42 Latvia 0.82%
- 43 Kenya 0.80%
- 44 Bulgaria 0.79%
- 45 Rwanda 0.78%
- 46 Uruguay 0.70%
- 47 Cyprus 0.68%
- 48 Malta 0.65%
- 49 Argentina 0.60%
- 50 Belarus 0.57%
- 51 Romania 0.52%
- 52 Saudi Arabia 0.49%
- 53 Uganda 0.44%
- 54 Viet Nam 0.41%
- 55 Cuba 0.39%
- 56 Algeria 0.38%
- 57 Oman 0.38%
- 58 North Macedonia 0.37%
- 59 Costa Rica 0.34%
- 60 Ukraine 0.32%
- 61 Macao SAR, China 0.27%
- 62 Mexico 0.27%
- 63 Georgia 0.25%
- 64 Mauritius 0.24%
- 65 Moldova 0.22%
- 66 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.19%
- 67 Armenia 0.18%
- 68 Azerbaijan 0.18%
- 69 Peru 0.18%
- 70 Pakistan 0.16%
- 71 Panama 0.16%
- 72 Mali 0.15%
- 73 Kazakhstan 0.14%
- 74 Paraguay 0.14%
- 75 Uzbekistan 0.11%
- 76 Bhutan 0.11%
- 77 El Salvador 0.10%
- 78 Burkina Faso 0.10%
- 79 Kuwait 0.10%
- 80 Lesotho 0.09%
- 81 Turkmenistan 0.09%
- 82 Kyrgyzstan 0.05%
- 83 Myanmar 0.02%
- 84 Guatemala 0.01%
- East Asia and Pacific 2.78%
- Euro area 2.29%
- Europe and Central Asia 2.14%
- European Union 2.26%
- Latin America and Caribbean 0.68%
- North America 3.33%
- OECD members 2.93%
- World 2.60%
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Grey: no value for 2023. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.