Research & development spending as a share of GDP in France
France: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 2.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in France, 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
France recorded 2.2% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in France peaked at 2.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2007.
That places France 16th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 France, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.2% | — |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 2.1% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.2% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.2% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.3% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | -1.8% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 2.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.5× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- France's 2.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More science & technology data for France
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 116.69 (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.13 units per person (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 77.53 million (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 143.85 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.6356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.8809 % change on previous year (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 62,180 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0009 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in France?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in France was 2.2% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2007.
- How does France rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- France ranks 16th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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 — 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.