Belgium vs Japan: Research & development spending as a share of GDP

Belgium

3.3%

in 2023

Japan

3.4%

in 2023

Belgium rank

6th

Japan rank

5th

Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time

Japan currently reports 3.4% against 3.3% in Belgium, a difference of 0.2%.

That makes Japan's figure about 1.1 times Belgium's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Japan ahead.

Belgium ranks 6th and Japan ranks 5th of 116 countries.

Indicator: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 116 places, 2,375 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.