Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Research and development expenditure was 2.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1996–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 2.5%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 2.5% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1996.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 7th out of 31 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +21.9% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +11.0% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +10.5% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +9.4% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +13.9% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 1.2% | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 1.2% | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +7.9% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +20.0% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +16.3% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +13.4% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.9% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +8.8% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
More science & technology data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1.03 million (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0005 units per person (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per square kilometre 0.0643 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 1.25 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 6.23 % change on previous year (2023)
- Researchers in R&D 1,938 per million people (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 2.5% in 2023, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest research and development expenditure recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1996.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for research and development expenditure?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 7th out of 31 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Research and development expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.