Finland vs Iceland: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Finland
3.1%
in 2023
Iceland
2.6%
in 2023
Finland rank
10th
Iceland rank
13th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Finland
- Iceland
How they compare
Finland currently reports 3.1% against 2.6% in Iceland, a difference of 0.5%.
That makes Finland's figure about 1.2 times Iceland's.
Across all 24 years both countries report, Finland has been ahead every year.
Finland ranks 10th and Iceland ranks 13th of 116 countries.
Finland has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.0% | 0.8% | Finland |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 0.7% | Finland |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.1% | 0.9% | Finland |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.6% | 0.4% | Finland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Finland or Iceland?
- Finland, at 3.1% against 2.6% in Iceland as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Finland and Iceland?
- 0.5%, with Finland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Iceland?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2023.
- How do Finland and Iceland rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 10th and Iceland ranks 13th of 116 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.