Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Portugal
Portugal: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Portugal, 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
The most recent figure for research & development spending as a share of gdp in Portugal is 1.7%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Portugal peaked at 1.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1996.
Portugal ranks 24th 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 Portugal, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +10.8% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +6.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -5.6% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +26.0% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | +17.8% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +28.4% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | +9.5% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +15.4% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +0.3% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 1.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.1× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 1.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More science & technology data for Portugal
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 124.13 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.21 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 12.94 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 140.06 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 0.9171 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 0.8644 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 18,225 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0017 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Portugal?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Portugal was 1.7% 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1996.
- How does Portugal rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Portugal ranks 24th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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.