Research and development expenditure - Country rankings
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
Research and development expenditure, percent of GDP, 2021:
The average for 2021 based on 27 countries was 1.76 percent. The highest value was in Belgium: 3.43 percent and the lowest value was in Romania: 0.47 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 |
| Austria | 3.26 | 3 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Germany | 3.14 | 4 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Finland | 2.99 | 5 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Denmark | 2.81 | 6 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Netherlands | 2.31 | 7 | 1996 - 2021 |
| France | 2.22 | 8 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Slovenia | 2.13 | 9 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Czechia | 2 | 10 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Estonia | 1.75 | 11 | 1998 - 2021 |
| Portugal | 1.68 | 12 | 1996 - 2022 |
| Hungary | 1.64 | 13 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Greece | 1.46 | 14 | 1997 - 2021 |
| Italy | 1.45 | 15 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Poland | 1.44 | 16 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Spain | 1.43 | 17 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Croatia | 1.24 | 18 | 1999 - 2021 |
| Ireland | 1.13 | 19 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Lithuania | 1.11 | 20 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Luxembourg | 1.04 | 21 | 2000 - 2021 |
| Slovakia | 0.92 | 22 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Cyprus | 0.83 | 23 | 1998 - 2021 |
| Bulgaria | 0.77 | 24 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Latvia | 0.74 | 25 | 1996 - 2021 |
| Malta | 0.67 | 26 | 2002 - 2021 |
| Romania | 0.47 | 27 | 1996 - 2021 |
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.
Selected articles from our guide:
The unholy trinity of international finance
Most commonly used measures of corruption
All articles
3.43
3.42
3.26
3.14
2.99
2.81
2.31
2.22
2.13
2.00
1.75
1.68
1.64
1.46
1.45
1.44
1.43
1.24
1.13
1.11
1.04
0.92
0.83
0.77
0.74
0.67
0.47
0
0.9
1.7
2.6
3.43
Research and development expenditure around the world Research and development expenditure in Europe Research and development expenditure in Asia Research and development expenditure in Africa Research and development expenditure in North America Research and development expenditure in South America Research and development expenditure in Australia/Oceania Research and development expenditure in Sub Sahara Africa Research and development expenditure in MENA Research and development expenditure in South East Asia Research and development expenditure in Latin America