Research and development expenditure in World
World: Research and development expenditure was 2.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure in World, 1996–2023
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 groups 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.
Research and development expenditure in World, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.0% | — |
| 1997 | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 1.9% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 2.0% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 2.0% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 2.5% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +1.0% |
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)
- Patents in OECD selected technologies — Patent applications 140,083 Patents (2023)
- Domestic ownership of inventions made abroad — Patent applications 2 Patents (2023)
- Foreign ownership of domestic inventions — Patent applications 3 Patents (2023)
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 groups 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 · JSON — 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.