Research and development expenditure in World
World: Research and development expenditure was 2.6% in 2023. β² Rising
Research and development expenditure in World, 1996β2023
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for research and development expenditure in World is 2.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure in World peaked at 2.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 2007.
That places World 6th out of 31 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.9% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near World
More science & technology data for World
- Scientific and technical journal articles 3.27 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 0.0252 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index 0.1245 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate 1.56 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 1.02 million (2021)
- Patent applications, residents 2.39 million (2021)
- Proportion of individuals using the Internet 73.6% (2025)
- Researchers in R&D 1,652 per million people (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure in World?
- Research and development expenditure in World was 2.6% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 2007.
- How does World rank for research and development expenditure?
- World ranks 6th out of 31 regions with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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
CSV Β· JSON β 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.