Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Croatia
Croatia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Croatia, 1999–2023
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Croatia recorded 1.4% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
The figure is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 75.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Croatia peaked at 1.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2010.
That places Croatia 32nd 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 25 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Croatia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 0.8% | — |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +25.3% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -12.0% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +8.4% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | -16.9% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +11.9% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -12.2% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 0.8% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | +7.4% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | +12.2% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +13.9% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +14.7% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +14.3% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -2.3% |
Croatia compared with similar countries
- Croatia's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 93% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Croatia's 1.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Croatia
More science & technology data for Croatia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 121.73 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.22 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 4.72 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 81.54 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 3.94 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 3.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 5,504 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0014 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Croatia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Croatia was 1.4% 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 Croatia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2022.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Croatia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2010.
- How does Croatia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Croatia ranks 32nd out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Croatia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Croatia 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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About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.