Malaysia vs Thailand: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Malaysia
1.0%
in 2022
Thailand
0.9%
in 2023
Malaysia rank
41st
Thailand rank
44th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Malaysia
- Thailand
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 1.0% against 0.9% in Thailand, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.1 times Thailand's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 14 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 41st and Thailand ranks 44th of 116 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 3 and Thailand in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.5% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 0.5% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.3% | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Malaysia or Thailand?
- Malaysia, at 1.0% against 0.9% in Thailand as of 2022.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Malaysia and Thailand?
- 0.1%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2022.
- How do Malaysia and Thailand rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Malaysia ranks 41st and Thailand ranks 44th 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.