Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Israel
Israel: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 6.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Israel, 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
In 2023, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Israel stood at 6.3%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 54.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Israel peaked at 6.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1996.
That places Israel 1st out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Israel, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.5% | — |
| 1997 | 2.7% | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +14.4% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +18.7% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +6.3% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | -5.8% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 4.3% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 4.2% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 5.8% | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | +7.3% |
| 2023 | 6.3% | +2.7% |
Israel compared with similar countries
- Israel's 6.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 4.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Israel's 6.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.6%, 9.9× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.8% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Israel
- 2 South Korea 4.9% compare
- 3 Sweden 3.6% compare
- 4 United States 3.4% compare
More science & technology data for Israel
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 177.39 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.66 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 16.65 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 655.88 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 15.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 17.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 13,844 (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 Israel?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Israel was 6.3% 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1996.
- How does Israel rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Israel ranks 1st out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Israel 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.