Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Tunisia
Tunisia: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Tunisia, 2002–2019
Source: UNESCO UIS Stat Bulk Data Download Service, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia stood at 0.7%. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia peaked at 0.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2002.
That places Tunisia 48th out of 116 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Tunisia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0.5% | — |
| 2003 | 0.7% | +19.8% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 0.7% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +10.5% |
| 2010 | 0.7% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 0.7% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | +23.7% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +4.2% |
Tunisia compared with similar countries
- Tunisia's 0.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.2%, 4.6× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Tunisia's 0.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.6%, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 8 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Tunisia
More science & technology data for Tunisia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 117.61 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.18 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 14.44 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 104.17 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -11.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -10.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 5,493 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0005 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Tunisia was 0.7% in 2019, 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 Tunisia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Tunisia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2002.
- How does Tunisia rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Tunisia ranks 48th out of 116 countries with data for 2019.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Tunisia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Tunisia 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 — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.