Which has higher research and development expenditure, Spain or Turkey?

Spain, at 1.5% against 1.4% in Turkey as of 2023.

How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and Turkey?

28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.

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.

Spain vs Turkey: Research and development expenditure (% of GDP)

Spain

1.5%

in 2023

Turkey

1.4%

in 2023

Spain rank

30th

Turkey rank

31st

Research and development expenditure (% of GDP) over time

Spain
Turkey

How they compare

Spain currently reports 1.5% against 1.4% in Turkey, a difference of 0.1%.

That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times Turkey's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Spain ahead.

Spain ranks 30th and Turkey ranks 31st of 116 countries.

Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Spain	Turkey	Difference	Ahead
1990s	0.8%	0.4%	0.4%	Spain
2000s	1.1%	0.6%	0.5%	Spain
2010s	1.3%	1.0%	0.3%	Spain
2020s	1.4%	1.4%	0.0%	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher research and development expenditure, Spain or Turkey?: Spain, at 1.5% against 1.4% in Turkey as of 2023.
What is the difference in research and development expenditure between Spain and Turkey?: 0.1%, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and Turkey?: 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
How do Spain and Turkey rank globally for research and development expenditure?: Spain ranks 30th and Turkey ranks 31st 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.

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Spain vs Turkey: Research and development expenditure. Statizoid, drawing on Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/research-and-development-expenditure-percent-of-gdp/spain/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator: Research and development expenditure (% of GDP)
Unit: % of GDP
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 147 places, 3,092 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026

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.