Japan vs World: Research and development expenditure
Japan
3.4%
in 2023
World
2.6%
in 2023
Japan rank
5th
World rank
6th
Research and development expenditure over time
- Japan
- World
How they compare
Japan currently reports 3.4% against 2.6% in World, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.3 times World's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 5th and World ranks 6th of 116 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.0% | 0.8% | Japan |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.0% | 1.1% | Japan |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.1% | 1.1% | Japan |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 2.5% | 0.8% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research and development expenditure, Japan or World?
- Japan, at 3.4% against 2.6% in World as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research and development expenditure between Japan and World?
- 0.8%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and World?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do Japan and World rank globally for research and development expenditure?
- Japan ranks 5th and World ranks 6th of 116 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Research and development expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.