Research & development spending as a share of GDP in China
China: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 2.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in China, 1996–2023
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 China is 2.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in China peaked at 2.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1996.
China ranks 14th of 116 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in China, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.6% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +13.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +15.8% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +19.0% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +12.3% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 1.2% | +8.4% |
| 2005 | 1.3% | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +15.0% |
| 2010 | 1.7% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.8% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | 2.4% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 2.5% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +3.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 2.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 9.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- China's 2.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 2.5× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More science & technology data for China
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 131.75 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.33 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 1.87 billion (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 194.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.73 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 932,712 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0007 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in China?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in China was 2.6% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1996.
- How does China rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- China ranks 14th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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 — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.