Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Research and development expenditure was 2.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific, 1996–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific is 2.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 2.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1996.
East Asia & Pacific ranks 5th of 29 groups on this measure, 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, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.2% | — |
| 1997 | 2.3% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.2% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 2.3% | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +6.4% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 2.4% | +8.4% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -6.1% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +7.4% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 2 Republic of Korea 4.9% compare
- 3 Sweden 3.6% compare
- 4 United States of America 3.4% compare
- 5 Japan 3.4% compare
- 6 Belgium 3.3% compare
- 7 Austria 3.3% compare
- 8 Switzerland 3.2% compare
More science & technology data for East Asia & Pacific
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1.30 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 0.0534 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 1.39 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 3.88 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 354,833 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 1.77 million (2020)
- Researchers in R&D 2,426 per million people (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific?
- Research and development expenditure in East Asia & Pacific was 2.8% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1996.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for research and development expenditure?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 5th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.
Download this data
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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.