Israel vs South Korea: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Israel
6.3%
in 2023
South Korea
4.9%
in 2023
Israel rank
1st
South Korea rank
2nd
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Israel
- South Korea
How they compare
Israel currently reports 6.3% against 4.9% in South Korea, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes Israel's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
Across all 28 years both countries report, Israel has been ahead every year.
Israel ranks 1st and South Korea ranks 2nd of 116 countries.
Israel has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Israel | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.1% | 0.7% | Israel |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 2.5% | 1.5% | Israel |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 0.6% | Israel |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 4.7% | 1.3% | Israel |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Israel or South Korea?
- Israel, at 6.3% against 4.9% in South Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Israel and South Korea?
- 1.4%, with Israel ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Korea?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do Israel and South Korea rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Israel ranks 1st and South Korea ranks 2nd 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.