Research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Research and development expenditure was 0.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, 2000–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 0.7% for research and development expenditure in 2023.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 0.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2002.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 24th of 31 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.6% | — |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +6.9% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +6.4% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +7.6% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More science & technology data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Scientific and technical journal articles 118,409 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0002 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 0.0059 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 0.3829 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate -4.2 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 42,462 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 8,385 (2020)
- Researchers in R&D 582.69 per million people (2014)
- Technicians in R&D 555.4 per million people (2014)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Research and development expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean was 0.7% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2002.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for research and development expenditure?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 24th out of 31 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.