Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Norway
Norway: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Norway, 1997–2023
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 Norway stood at 1.9%.
The figure is up 19.4% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Norway peaked at 2.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2006.
That places Norway 19th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Norway, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1.6% | — |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +4.2% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +12.9% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +5.1% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | -15.9% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -17.8% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +19.4% |
Norway compared with similar countries
- Norway's 1.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Norway's 1.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More science & technology data for Norway
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 109.35 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.09 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 6.10 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 16.61 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.2781 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.7601 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 13,756 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0025 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Norway?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Norway was 1.9% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2006.
- How does Norway rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Norway ranks 19th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.