India vs South Africa: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
India
0.6%
in 2020
South Africa
0.6%
in 2022
India rank
54th
South Africa rank
56th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
India currently reports 0.6% against 0.6% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1997 it was India ahead.
India ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 56th of 116 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.2% | India |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.0% | India |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.0% | India |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.0% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, India or South Africa?
- India, at 0.6% against 0.6% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between India and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2020.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- India ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 56th of 116 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) β 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.