* indicates monthly or quarterly data series

Research and development expenditure, percent of GDP, 2021:

The average for 2021 based on 39 countries was 1.63 percent. The highest value was in Belgium: 3.43 percent and the lowest value was in Bosnia and Herzegovina: 0.19 percent. The indicator is available from 1996 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Measure: percent; Source: The United Nations
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Countries Research and development expenditure, 2021 Global rank Available data
Belgium 3.43 1 1996 - 2021
Sweden 3.42 2 1997 - 2021
Switzerland 3.36 3 1996 - 2021
Austria 3.26 4 1996 - 2021
Germany 3.14 5 1996 - 2021
Finland 2.99 6 1996 - 2021
UK 2.91 7 1996 - 2021
Denmark 2.81 8 1996 - 2021
Iceland 2.81 9 1997 - 2021
Netherlands 2.31 10 1996 - 2021
France 2.22 11 1996 - 2021
Slovenia 2.13 12 1996 - 2021
Czechia 2 13 1996 - 2021
Norway 1.94 14 1997 - 2021
Estonia 1.75 15 1998 - 2021
Portugal 1.68 16 1996 - 2022
Hungary 1.64 17 1996 - 2021
Greece 1.46 18 1997 - 2021
Italy 1.45 19 1996 - 2021
Poland 1.44 20 1996 - 2021
Spain 1.43 21 1996 - 2021
Turkey 1.4 22 1996 - 2021
Croatia 1.24 23 1999 - 2021
Ireland 1.13 24 1996 - 2021
Lithuania 1.11 25 1996 - 2021
Luxembourg 1.04 26 2000 - 2021
Serbia 0.99 27 1997 - 2022
Russia 0.96 28 1996 - 2022
Slovakia 0.92 29 1996 - 2021
Cyprus 0.83 30 1998 - 2021
Bulgaria 0.77 31 1996 - 2021
Latvia 0.74 32 1996 - 2021
Malta 0.67 33 2002 - 2021
Romania 0.47 34 1996 - 2021
Belarus 0.46 35 1996 - 2022
North Macedonia 0.38 36 1997 - 2022
Ukraine 0.38 37 1997 - 2022
Moldova 0.23 38 1996 - 2022
Bosnia & Herz. 0.19 39 2003 - 2022



Definition: Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.

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