Romania vs South Africa: Research & development spending as a share of GDP
Romania
0.5%
in 2023
South Africa
0.6%
in 2022
Romania rank
59th
South Africa rank
56th
Research & development spending as a share of GDP over time
- Romania
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 0.6% against 0.5% in Romania, a difference of 0.1%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Romania's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 22 shared years of data; in 1997 it was Romania ahead.
Romania ranks 59th and South Africa ranks 56th of 116 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Romania averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Romania | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.0% | Romania |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher research & development spending as a share of gdp, Romania or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 0.6% against 0.5% in Romania as of 2022.
- What is the difference in research & development spending as a share of gdp between Romania and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Romania and South Africa?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 1997 to 2022.
- How do Romania and South Africa rank globally for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Romania ranks 59th and South Africa ranks 56th of 116 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) β 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.