OECD members vs United States of America: Research and development expenditure
Research and development expenditure over time
- OECD members
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 3.4% against 2.9% in OECD members, a difference of 0.5%.
That makes United States of America's figure about 1.2 times OECD members's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
OECD members ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 4th of 29 groups.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | OECD members | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.1% | 2.5% | 0.3% | United States of America |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 2.6% | 0.4% | United States of America |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.8% | 0.3% | United States of America |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 3.5% | 0.5% | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research and development expenditure, OECD members or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 3.4% against 2.9% in OECD members as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research and development expenditure between OECD members and United States of America?
- 0.5%, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for OECD members and United States of America?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do OECD members and United States of America rank globally for research and development expenditure?
- OECD members ranks 3rd and United States of America ranks 4th of 29 groups.
- 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.