R&D spending and patent applications in Europe, 2025
Each point is one country: R&D spending share of GDP across and european patent applications up, both for 2025. 28 countries have both values. A pattern shows that two measures go together; it does not show that one causes the other.
What the plot shows
- Across the 28 countries, higher values of R&D spending share of GDP tend to go with higher values of european patent applications. The correlation is 0.66, a strong relationship.
- Furthest above the overall pattern (a higher european patent applications than the pattern suggests): Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland.
- Furthest below it: Romania, Greece, Croatia.
The correlation runs from −1 to 1. It is calculated from the values in the table, on logarithms where an axis uses a logarithmic scale, and shows how closely the points follow a straight line, not cause and effect.
The chart loads when you scroll to it.
Colours show World Bank regions. The vertical axis uses a logarithmic scale because values range widely.
Values for 2025
| Country | R&D spending share of GDP | European patent applications |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 3.36% | 245.0 per million people |
| Belgium | 3.34% | 214.4 per million people |
| Bulgaria | 0.74% | 11.2 per million people |
| Croatia | 1.37% | 10.3 per million people |
| Cyprus | 0.58% | 58.0 per million people |
| Czechia | 1.85% | 24.5 per million people |
| Denmark | 3.12% | 445.9 per million people |
| Estonia | 2.08% | 59.9 per million people |
| Finland | 3.32% | 613.4 per million people |
| France | 2.19% | 158.7 per million people |
| Germany | 3.07% | 292.9 per million people |
| Greece | 1.63% | 11.9 per million people |
| Hungary | 1.31% | 13.5 per million people |
| Iceland | 2.16% | 195.2 per million people |
| Ireland | 1.49% | 216.7 per million people |
| Italy | 1.37% | 80.9 per million people |
| Latvia | 1.00% | 20.4 per million people |
| Lithuania | 1.10% | 32.2 per million people |
| Luxembourg | 1.04% | 548.4 per million people |
| Malta | 0.46% | 125.4 per million people |
| Netherlands | 2.40% | 388.3 per million people |
| Norway | 1.79% | 129.8 per million people |
| Poland | 1.50% | 17.0 per million people |
| Portugal | 1.81% | 34.2 per million people |
| Romania | 0.52% | 2.2 per million people |
| Slovakia | 1.05% | 10.7 per million people |
| Slovenia | 2.37% | 80.3 per million people |
| Sweden | 3.52% | 446.2 per million people |
Research and development expenditure (Eurostat)
Gross domestic expenditure on research and development by businesses, government, higher education and private non-profit organisations, as a percentage of GDP.
Source: Eurostat
Patent applications to the European Patent Office
Patent applications filed with the European Patent Office, counted by the applicant's country of residence, per million inhabitants.
Source: Eurostat