Research & development spending as a share of GDP in South Korea
South Korea: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 4.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in South Korea, 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
South Korea recorded 4.9% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in South Korea peaked at 4.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1999.
South Korea ranks 2nd of 116 countries on this measure, 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2.1% | — |
| 1997 | 2.2% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 2.0% | -6.3% |
| 1999 | 1.9% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | +2.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 4.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 3.3× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 4.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 4.9× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More science & technology data for South Korea
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 172.52 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.72 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 89.22 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 859.55 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 6.42 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 6.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 71,724 (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 South Korea?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in South Korea was 4.9% 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1999.
- How does South Korea rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- South Korea ranks 2nd out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.