Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Colombia
Colombia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Colombia, 2000–2020
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 Colombia is 0.3%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 10.1% on the previous year and up 49.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Colombia peaked at 0.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2000.
Colombia ranks 76th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Colombia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.1% | — |
| 2001 | 0.1% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +17.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +11.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +11.4% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +11.5% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | +16.5% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +17.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +20.5% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -26.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +19.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -10.1% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 0.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 1.0× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 0.3% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 1.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More science & technology data for Colombia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 174.09 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.74 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 92.07 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 78.74 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 9,184 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Colombia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Colombia was 0.3% in 2020, 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2000.
- How does Colombia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Colombia ranks 76th out of 116 countries with data for 2020.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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 — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.