Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Turkey
Turkey: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 1.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Turkey, 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 Turkey is 1.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.5% on the previous year and up 75.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Turkey peaked at 1.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1998.
That places Turkey 31st out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5% | — |
| 1997 | 0.5% | +8.9% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -26.4% |
| 1999 | 0.5% | +25.9% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | +12.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -8.6% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +13.4% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +24.1% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +16.9% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +13.0% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +15.8% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +8.0% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 1.3% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 1.4% | +7.5% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 1.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3%, 4.9× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 1.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More science & technology data for Turkey
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 107.83 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.1 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 94.32 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 119.84 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 50,180 (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 Turkey?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Turkey was 1.4% 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 Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1998.
- How does Turkey rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Turkey ranks 31st out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey 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.