Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bolivia
Bolivia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bolivia, 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
In 2021, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bolivia stood at 0.1%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 59.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bolivia peaked at 0.3% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2021.
Bolivia ranks 108th of 116 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.3% | — |
| 1997 | 0.3% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -43.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -51.4% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -5.0% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 0.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 38% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 0.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 28% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
- 105 Tajikistan 0.1% compare
- 106 Kuwait 0.1% compare
- 107 Mongolia 0.1% compare
- 109 Honduras 0.1% compare
- 110 Kyrgyzstan 0.1% compare
- 111 Trinidad and Tobago 0.1% compare
More science & technology data for Bolivia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 98.03 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.9803 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 12.17 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 11.32 units per square kilometre (2022)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.7569 % change on previous year (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2022)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 196.72 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bolivia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Bolivia was 0.1% 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 Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 1996.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2021.
- How does Bolivia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Bolivia ranks 108th out of 116 countries with data for 2021.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia 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.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.