Iceland vs Netherlands: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Iceland
2.6%
in 2023
Netherlands
2.3%
in 2023
Iceland rank
13th
Netherlands rank
15th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Iceland
- Netherlands
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 2.6% against 2.3% in Netherlands, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes Iceland's figure about 1.2 times Netherlands's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Netherlands ahead.
Iceland ranks 13th and Netherlands ranks 15th of 116 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 3 and Netherlands in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 0.2% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 1.7% | 0.9% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 0.0% | Netherlands |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 0.4% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Iceland or Netherlands?
- Iceland, at 2.6% against 2.3% in Netherlands as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Iceland and Netherlands?
- 0.3%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Netherlands?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2023.
- How do Iceland and Netherlands rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Iceland ranks 13th and Netherlands ranks 15th 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.