Japan vs South Korea: Research & development spending as a share of GDP

Japan

3.4%

in 2023

South Korea

4.9%

in 2023

Japan rank

5th

South Korea rank

2nd

Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time

South Korea currently reports 4.9% against 3.4% in Japan, a difference of 1.5%.

That makes South Korea's figure about 1.4 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Japan ahead.

Japan ranks 5th and South Korea ranks 2nd of 116 countries.

Indicator: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 116 places, 2,375 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.