Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Romania
Romania: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.5% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
0.5%
Change on year
up 11.6%
World rank
59th
of 116 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 1996
All-time low
0.4%
in 2000
Years of data
28
1996–2023
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Romania, 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
Romania recorded 0.5% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
That represents a change of up 11.6% on the previous year and up 32.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Romania peaked at 0.7% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2000.
Romania ranks 59th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Romania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.7% | — |
| 1997 | 0.6% | -14.9% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -13.8% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -19.6% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -3.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 0.5% | +10.7% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +12.0% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -19.6% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 0.4% | -15.6% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.5% | +27.7% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.5% | +11.6% |
Romania compared with similar countries
- Romania's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 35% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Romania's 0.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 38% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Romania
More science & technology data for Romania
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 119.81 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.2 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 22.78 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 102.42 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -3.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 10,713 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0006 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Romania?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Romania was 0.5% 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 Romania?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1996.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Romania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2000.
- How does Romania rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Romania ranks 59th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Romania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Romania 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 — 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.