Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Ecuador
Ecuador: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.4% in 2014. ◆ Volatile
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Ecuador, 1996–2014
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2014, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Ecuador stood at 0.4%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 17.1% on the previous year and up 629.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Ecuador peaked at 0.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2001.
Ecuador ranks 62nd of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.1% | — |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -15.4% |
| 1998 | 0.1% | +4.1% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -16.4% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +7.2% |
| 2003 | 0.1% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | +119.3% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +70.4% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +78.4% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -17.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | +12.4% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +17.1% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 0.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 1.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 0.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 1.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Ecuador changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +119.3% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More science & technology data for Ecuador
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 101.6 (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 18.43 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 73.14 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.5602 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 3,530 (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 Ecuador?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Ecuador was 0.4% in 2014, 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2001.
- How does Ecuador rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Ecuador ranks 62nd out of 116 countries with data for 2014.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 629.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ecuador 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 — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.