Research and development expenditure in South Asia
South Asia: Research and development expenditure was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Research and development expenditure in South Asia, 1996–2020
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 0.6% for research and development expenditure in 2020.
That represents a change of down 4.6% on the previous year and down 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in South Asia peaked at 0.8% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1996.
South Asia ranks 24th of 29 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.6% | — |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +10.1% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +11.3% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -3.1% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More science & technology data for South Asia
- Scientific and technical journal articles 240,481 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0001 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 0.0719 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index -1.02 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 13.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 34,811 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 23,872 (2020)
- Researchers in R&D 256.82 per million people (2020)
- Technicians in R&D 73.06 per million people (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in South Asia?
- Research and development expenditure in South Asia was 0.6% in 2020, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest research and development expenditure recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2009.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1996.
- How does South Asia rank for research and development expenditure?
- South Asia ranks 24th out of 29 groups with data for 2020.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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.
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.