Italy vs Spain: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Italy
1.4%
in 2023
Spain
1.5%
in 2023
Italy rank
33rd
Spain rank
30th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Italy
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 1.5% against 1.4% in Italy, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 33rd and Spain ranks 30th of 116 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.2% | Italy |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% | Spain |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.1% | Italy |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 0.0% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Italy or Spain?
- Spain, at 1.5% against 1.4% in Italy as of 2023.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Italy and Spain?
- 0.1%, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and Spain?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do Italy and Spain rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Italy ranks 33rd and Spain ranks 30th 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.