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.
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
- Scientific and technical journal articles 82,771 (2023)
- Mobile phone subscriptions 78.67 million (2024)
- Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people 132.57 per 100 people (2024)
- Mobile and landline phone subscriptions per 100 people 132.57 per 100 people (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 797 (2021)
- Share of the population using the Internet 89.2% (2024)
- Patent applications, residents 10,281 (2021)
- Research and development expenditure 1.4% (2023)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 11,460 Thousand persons (2025)
- Number of people using the Internet 44.71 million users (2021)
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.