Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Cuba
Cuba: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Cuba, 1996–2024
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Cuba stood at 0.4%.
That represents a change of up 11.8% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Cuba peaked at 0.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2011.
That places Cuba 62nd out of 116 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Cuba, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.3% | — |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +15.6% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +24.8% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +4.4% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | +18.1% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -19.6% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +14.8% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +22.8% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -55.3% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +49.7% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +16.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -12.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -20.1% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +25.8% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +24.7% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -37.7% |
| 2022 | 0.4% | +11.6% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | +11.8% |
Cuba compared with similar countries
- Cuba's 0.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 1.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Cuba's 0.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 1.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cuba
More science & technology data for Cuba
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 72.93 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.7293 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 8.01 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 73.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.82 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 4.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1,217 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Cuba?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Cuba was 0.4% in 2024, 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 Cuba?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Cuba?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2011.
- How does Cuba rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Cuba ranks 62nd out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Cuba?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cuba 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 — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.