Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Research and development expenditure was 2.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia, 1996–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia recorded 2.1% for research and development expenditure in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 2.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1998.
Europe & Central Asia ranks 9th of 29 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, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.6% | — |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 1.7% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 1.8% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.9% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 2.0% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 2.1% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 2.1% | +4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More science & technology data for Europe & Central Asia
- Scientific and technical journal articles 865,613 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0009 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 0.0316 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 1.3 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate -0.9435 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 151,788 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 215,964 (2020)
- Researchers in R&D 3,715 per million people (2023)
- Technicians in R&D 870.55 per million people (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia?
- Research and development expenditure in Europe & Central Asia was 2.1% 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?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1998.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for research and development expenditure?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 9th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.