Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Uruguay
Uruguay: Research & development spending as a share of GDP was 0.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Uruguay, 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
Uruguay recorded 0.7% for research & development spending as a share of gdp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is up 12.8% on the previous year and up 141.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research & development spending as a share of gdp in Uruguay peaked at 0.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1998.
Uruguay ranks 50th of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.3% | — |
| 1997 | 0.3% | +32.0% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -45.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +16.8% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 0.5% | +93.3% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -21.0% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +15.9% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -11.2% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -18.3% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +10.7% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +17.8% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +14.6% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +12.5% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | +19.0% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 0.7% | +12.8% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 0.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 47% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 0.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.2%, 3.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Research & development spending as a share of GDP in Uruguay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +93.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More science & technology data for Uruguay
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 145.5 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.46 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 4.93 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 27.43 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 1,060 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research & development spending as a share of gdp in Uruguay?
- Research & development spending as a share of gdp in Uruguay was 0.7% 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research & development spending as a share of gdp recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1998.
- How does Uruguay rank for research & development spending as a share of gdp?
- Uruguay ranks 50th out of 116 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research & development spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 141.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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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About this data
Includes basic research, applied research, and experimental development.