Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Latvia
Latvia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Latvia, 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
Latvia recorded 0.8% 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 1.4% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Latvia peaked at 0.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1999.
Latvia ranks 45th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More science & technology data for Latvia
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1,736 (2023)
- Mobile phone subscriptions 2.27 million (2024)
- Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people 121.26 per 100 people (2024)
- Mobile and landline phone subscriptions per 100 people 121.26 per 100 people (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 4 (2021)
- Share of the population using the Internet 92.7% (2024)
- Patent applications, residents 104 (2021)
- Research and development expenditure 0.8% (2023)
- Human resources in science and technology (HRST) by category and NUTS 538.6 Thousand persons (2025)
- Number of people using the Internet 1.72 million users (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Latvia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Latvia was 0.8% 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 Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1999.
- How does Latvia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Latvia ranks 45th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latvia 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.