Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Brazil
Brazil: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Brazil, 2000–2023
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for research & development spending as a share of gdp in Brazil is 1.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Brazil peaked at 1.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2004.
That places Brazil 35th out of 116 countries 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 & development spending as a share of GDP in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.0% | — |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +9.4% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +0.4% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 1.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 4.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 1.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 5.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More science & technology data for Brazil
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 101.93 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.02 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 216.08 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 25.52 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.8978 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 58,292 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Brazil?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Brazil was 1.2% in 2023, 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 Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2004.
- How does Brazil rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Brazil ranks 35th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil 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 — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.