Research & development spending as a share of GDP in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 2.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in United Kingdom, 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
United Kingdom recorded 2.7% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023.
The figure is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 65.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in United Kingdom peaked at 2.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2004.
That places United Kingdom 12th out of 116 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1.6% | — |
| 1997 | 1.5% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 1.6% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.6% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.5% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1.6% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 1.6% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | +39.7% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | +16.5% |
| 2019 | 2.7% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -2.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 2.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.8× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 2.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.4%, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Research & development spending as a share of GDP in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +39.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More science & technology data for United Kingdom
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 121.64 (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 84.10 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 348.57 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate -0.9277 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate -0.2704 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 97,536 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0014 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in United Kingdom?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in United Kingdom was 2.7% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2004.
- How does United Kingdom rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- United Kingdom ranks 12th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 65.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.