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

Japan

3.4%

in 2023

Sweden

3.6%

in 2023

Japan rank

5th

Sweden rank

3rd

Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time

Sweden currently reports 3.6% against 3.4% in Japan, a difference of 0.2%.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Sweden ahead.

Japan ranks 5th and Sweden ranks 3rd 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.