Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Australia
Australia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Australia, 1996–2021
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Australia recorded 1.9% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Australia peaked at 2.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1998.
That places Australia 18th out of 116 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.7% | — |
| 1998 | 1.5% | -8.9% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 1.7% | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 1.8% | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | +17.9% |
| 2008 | 2.4% | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -11.8% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +1.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 1.8× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More science & technology data for Australia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 112.58 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.11 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 30.07 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 3.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.0604 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 54,589 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Australia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Australia was 1.9% in 2021, according to UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1998.
- How does Australia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Australia ranks 18th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Research & development spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.