Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Hungary
Hungary: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Hungary, 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
The most recent figure for research & development spending as a share of gdp in Hungary is 1.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Hungary peaked at 1.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1996.
Hungary ranks 34th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Hungary, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.6% | — |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +17.8% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +15.5% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +15.5% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +10.1% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -12.1% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | +14.2% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +7.9% |
| 2021 | 1.6% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -14.9% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | -0.9% |
Hungary compared with similar countries
- Hungary's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 92% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Hungary'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 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Hungary
More science & technology data for Hungary
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 104.58 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.06 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 10.12 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 111.51 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.4502 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.5572 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 8,260 (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 Hungary?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Hungary 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 Hungary?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Hungary?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1996.
- How does Hungary rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Hungary ranks 34th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Hungary?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hungary 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 — 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.