Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Italy
Italy: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Italy, 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
Italy recorded 1.4% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Italy peaked at 1.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1996.
That places Italy 33rd out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.9% | — |
| 1997 | 1.0% | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.0% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.2% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.3% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +1.0% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 92% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Italy'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 | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More science & technology data for Italy
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 132.57 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.33 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 78.67 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 265.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.5331 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.2689 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 82,771 (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 Italy?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Italy 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 1.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1996.
- How does Italy rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Italy ranks 33rd out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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.