Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Poland
Poland: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Poland, 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
Poland recorded 1.6% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.9% on the previous year and up 76.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Poland peaked at 1.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2003.
Poland ranks 26th of 116 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Poland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.6% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | -10.3% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +10.4% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +18.4% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +15.9% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +7.9% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 1.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Poland's 1.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More science & technology data for Poland
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 138.02 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.45 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 53.19 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 171.05 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.12 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 31,218 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0009 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Poland?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Poland was 1.6% 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2003.
- How does Poland rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Poland ranks 26th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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.