Research and development expenditure in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Research and development expenditure was 2.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in Upper middle income, 2000–2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, research and development expenditure in Upper middle income stood at 2.0%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 56.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in Upper middle income peaked at 2.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2000.
That places Upper middle income 11th out of 29 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure in Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.6% | — |
| 2001 | 0.6% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +9.3% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | +6.2% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +7.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +9.5% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +11.2% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
More science & technology data for Upper middle income
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1.32 million (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 0.0297 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 1.2 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 4.66 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 225,900 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 1.39 million (2020)
- Researchers in R&D 1,476 per million people (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in Upper middle income?
- Research and development expenditure in Upper middle income was 2.0% 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2000.
- How does Upper middle income rank for research and development expenditure?
- Upper middle income ranks 11th out of 29 groups with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Upper middle 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.
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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.