Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Research and development expenditure was 0.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1996–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) recorded 0.9% for research and development expenditure in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 11.2% on the previous year and up 45.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 0.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1998.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 21st of 31 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +22.2% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -21.3% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | +13.1% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | +8.1% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +9.6% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +13.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +11.0% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +9.7% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | +15.6% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +11.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More science & technology data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 87,222 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0004 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 0.0148 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 0.5412 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 6.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Researchers in R&D 1,773 per million people (2023)
- Technicians in R&D 223.49 per million people (2017)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 0.9% 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 Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1998.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for research and development expenditure?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 21st out of 31 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (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.
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.