R&D Expenditure by Country
What Is R&D Expenditure (% of GDP)?
R&D Expenditure (% of GDP) measures the total spending on research and development—by businesses, government, higher education, and non-profits—expressed as a share of a country’s gross domestic product. It reflects a nation’s investment in innovation, technology, and knowledge creation relative to the size of its economy.
Why R&D Expenditure Matters to a Country’s Progress
- Signals a country’s commitment to innovation and long-term competitiveness.
- Higher R&D spending is often linked to greater technological advancement, productivity growth, and industrial diversification.
- Supports breakthroughs in science, health, energy, and other fields that can improve quality of life and economic resilience.
Ranking Highlights
- Kenya tops the progress rankings in R&D Expenditure (% of GDP), recording an increase from 0.41 to 0.81. Namibia follows with a gain from 0.35 to 0.65, while South Korea rounds out the top three, rising from 4.91 to 5.21.
- Across all 105 countries, the average year-over-year change was +0.02 percentage points with a median change of +0.00 percentage points.
- Overall, 52 countries improved in this area while 40 worsened. Click on a country to open the full country scorecard and see how it performs across a range of key indicators.
| Rank | Country | Most Recent Year | Previous Year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kenya | 0.81% (2023) | 0.41% (2022) | +0.40 pp |
| 2 |  Namibia | 0.65% (2022) | 0.35% (2014) | +0.30 pp |
| 3 |  South Korea | 5.21% (2022) | 4.91% (2021) | +0.30 pp |
| 4 |  Singapore | 2.16% (2020) | 1.88% (2019) | +0.28 pp |
| 5 |  Venezuela | 0.69% (2016) | 0.44% (2015) | +0.25 pp |
| 6 |  Israel | 6.02% (2022) | 5.78% (2021) | +0.24 pp |
| 7 |  Uganda | 0.31% (2023) | 0.14% (2014) | +0.17 pp |
| 8 |  Croatia | 1.40% (2022) | 1.23% (2021) | +0.17 pp |
| 9 |  Philippines | 0.32% (2018) | 0.16% (2015) | +0.16 pp |
| 10 |  Qatar | 0.68% (2021) | 0.53% (2018) | +0.15 pp |
| 11 |  Denmark | 2.89% (2022) | 2.76% (2021) | +0.13 pp |
| 12 |  Japan | 3.41% (2022) | 3.28% (2021) | +0.13 pp |
| 13 |  China | 2.56% (2022) | 2.43% (2021) | +0.13 pp |
| 14 |  Belarus | 0.58% (2023) | 0.47% (2022) | +0.11 pp |
| 15 |  Switzerland | 3.31% (2021) | 3.20% (2019) | +0.11 pp |
| 16 |  United States | 3.59% (2022) | 3.48% (2021) | +0.11 pp |
| 17 |  Saudi Arabia | 0.56% (2023) | 0.46% (2022) | +0.10 pp |
| 18 |  Oman | 0.37% (2023) | 0.28% (2022) | +0.09 pp |
| 19 |  Costa Rica | 0.34% (2022) | 0.27% (2021) | +0.07 pp |
| 20 |  Ecuador | 0.44% (2014) | 0.37% (2013) | +0.07 pp |
| 21 |  New Zealand | 1.47% (2021) | 1.41% (2019) | +0.06 pp |
| 22 |  Slovakia | 0.98% (2022) | 0.92% (2021) | +0.06 pp |
| 23 |  Syria | 0.07% (2022) | 0.02% (2015) | +0.05 pp |
| 24 |  Turkmenistan | 0.14% (2022) | 0.10% (2021) | +0.04 pp |
| 25 |  Cuba | 0.36% (2022) | 0.32% (2021) | +0.04 pp |
| 26 |  Argentina | 0.55% (2022) | 0.52% (2021) | +0.03 pp |
| 27 |  Australia | 1.86% (2021) | 1.83% (2019) | +0.03 pp |
| 28 |  Spain | 1.44% (2022) | 1.41% (2021) | +0.03 pp |
| 29 |  Greece | 1.49% (2022) | 1.46% (2021) | +0.03 pp |
| 30 |  Portugal | 1.70% (2022) | 1.67% (2021) | +0.03 pp |
| 31 |  Rwanda | 0.79% (2023) | 0.76% (2019) | +0.03 pp |
| 32 |  Tunisia | 0.75% (2019) | 0.72% (2018) | +0.03 pp |
| 33 |  Azerbaijan | 0.18% (2023) | 0.15% (2022) | +0.03 pp |
| 34 |  Belgium | 3.41% (2022) | 3.39% (2021) | +0.02 pp |
| 35 |  Kazakhstan | 0.14% (2023) | 0.12% (2022) | +0.02 pp |
| 36 |  North Macedonia | 0.40% (2023) | 0.38% (2022) | +0.02 pp |
| 37 |  Poland | 1.45% (2022) | 1.43% (2021) | +0.02 pp |
| 38 |  Uruguay | 0.63% (2022) | 0.61% (2021) | +0.02 pp |
| 39 |  Kuwait | 0.10% (2023) | 0.08% (2022) | +0.02 pp |
| 40 |  Nicaragua | 0.11% (2015) | 0.09% (2014) | +0.02 pp |
| 41 |  Georgia | 0.25% (2023) | 0.23% (2022) | +0.02 pp |
| 42 |  Peru | 0.16% (2022) | 0.14% (2021) | +0.02 pp |
| 43 |  Chile | 0.36% (2021) | 0.34% (2020) | +0.02 pp |
| 44 |  Sweden | 3.41% (2022) | 3.40% (2021) | +0.01 pp |
| 45 |  Egypt | 1.03% (2023) | 1.02% (2022) | +0.01 pp |
| 46 |  Estonia | 1.78% (2022) | 1.77% (2021) | +0.01 pp |
| 47 |  Indonesia | 0.28% (2020) | 0.27% (2019) | +0.01 pp |
| 48 |  Latvia | 0.76% (2022) | 0.75% (2021) | +0.01 pp |
| 49 |  Mexico | 0.27% (2023) | 0.26% (2022) | +0.01 pp |
| 50 |  Mali | 0.17% (2021) | 0.16% (2019) | +0.01 pp |
| 51 |  Guatemala | 0.06% (2021) | 0.05% (2020) | +0.01 pp |
| 52 |  France | 2.23% (2022) | 2.22% (2021) | +0.01 pp |
| 53 |  United Arab Emirates | 1.49% (2021) | 1.49% (2020) | +0.00 pp |
| 54 |  Burkina Faso | 0.25% (2021) | 0.25% (2020) | +0.00 pp |
| 55 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.19% (2023) | 0.19% (2022) | +0.00 pp |
| 56 |  Germany | 3.13% (2022) | 3.13% (2021) | +0.00 pp |
| 57 |  Honduras | 0.06% (2019) | 0.06% (2018) | +0.00 pp |
| 58 |  Iraq | 0.04% (2021) | 0.04% (2020) | +0.00 pp |
| 59 |  Madagascar | 0.01% (2017) | 0.01% (2016) | +0.00 pp |
| 60 |  Pakistan | 0.16% (2023) | 0.16% (2021) | +0.00 pp |
| 61 |  Tajikistan | 0.09% (2020) | 0.09% (2019) | +0.00 pp |
| 62 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 0.05% (2022) | 0.05% (2021) | +0.00 pp |
| 63 |  Ukraine | 0.33% (2023) | 0.33% (2022) | +0.00 pp |
| 64 |  Vietnam | 0.42% (2021) | 0.42% (2019) | +0.00 pp |
| 65 |  South Africa | 0.62% (2022) | 0.62% (2021) | +0.00 pp |
| 66 |  Romania | 0.46% (2022) | 0.47% (2021) | -0.01 pp |
| 67 |  Sri Lanka | 0.11% (2022) | 0.12% (2020) | -0.01 pp |
| 68 |  Canada | 1.70% (2023) | 1.71% (2022) | -0.01 pp |
| 69 |  India | 0.65% (2020) | 0.66% (2019) | -0.01 pp |
| 70 |  Kyrgyzstan | 0.06% (2023) | 0.07% (2022) | -0.01 pp |
| 71 |  Moldova | 0.22% (2023) | 0.23% (2022) | -0.01 pp |
| 72 |  Netherlands | 2.26% (2022) | 2.27% (2021) | -0.01 pp |
| 73 |  Panama | 0.16% (2023) | 0.18% (2022) | -0.02 pp |
| 74 |  El Salvador | 0.14% (2022) | 0.16% (2021) | -0.02 pp |
| 75 |  Myanmar | 0.02% (2023) | 0.04% (2022) | -0.02 pp |
| 76 |  Mongolia | 0.08% (2022) | 0.10% (2021) | -0.02 pp |
| 77 |  Bulgaria | 0.75% (2022) | 0.77% (2021) | -0.02 pp |
| 78 |  Paraguay | 0.12% (2022) | 0.14% (2021) | -0.02 pp |
| 79 |  Serbia | 0.95% (2023) | 0.97% (2022) | -0.02 pp |
| 80 |  Slovenia | 2.10% (2022) | 2.13% (2021) | -0.03 pp |
| 81 |  Russia | 0.93% (2022) | 0.96% (2021) | -0.03 pp |
| 82 |  Armenia | 0.18% (2023) | 0.21% (2022) | -0.03 pp |
| 83 |  Uzbekistan | 0.13% (2023) | 0.16% (2022) | -0.03 pp |
| 84 |  Colombia | 0.29% (2020) | 0.32% (2019) | -0.03 pp |
| 85 |  Finland | 2.96% (2022) | 2.99% (2021) | -0.03 pp |
| 86 |  Czech Republic | 1.96% (2022) | 2.00% (2021) | -0.04 pp |
| 87 |  United Kingdom | 2.90% (2021) | 2.94% (2020) | -0.04 pp |
| 88 |  Italy | 1.39% (2022) | 1.43% (2021) | -0.04 pp |
| 89 |  Cyprus | 0.75% (2022) | 0.80% (2021) | -0.05 pp |
| 90 |  Lithuania | 1.05% (2022) | 1.10% (2021) | -0.05 pp |
| 91 |  Malta | 0.60% (2022) | 0.65% (2021) | -0.05 pp |
| 92 |  Thailand | 1.16% (2022) | 1.21% (2021) | -0.05 pp |
| 93 |  Austria | 3.20% (2022) | 3.26% (2021) | -0.06 pp |
| 94 |  Brazil | 1.15% (2020) | 1.21% (2019) | -0.06 pp |
| 95 |  Iran | 0.73% (2021) | 0.79% (2019) | -0.06 pp |
| 96 |  Luxembourg | 0.98% (2022) | 1.04% (2021) | -0.06 pp |
| 97 |  Türkiye | 1.32% (2022) | 1.40% (2021) | -0.08 pp |
| 98 |  Mauritius | 0.23% (2023) | 0.31% (2022) | -0.08 pp |
| 99 |  Malaysia | 0.95% (2020) | 1.04% (2018) | -0.09 pp |
| 100 |  Montenegro | 0.36% (2019) | 0.50% (2018) | -0.14 pp |
| 101 |  Ireland | 0.96% (2022) | 1.11% (2021) | -0.15 pp |
| 102 |  Iceland | 2.60% (2022) | 2.78% (2021) | -0.18 pp |
| 103 |  Hungary | 1.39% (2022) | 1.64% (2021) | -0.25 pp |
| 104 |  Norway | 1.56% (2022) | 1.89% (2021) | -0.33 pp |
| 105 |  Ethiopia | 0.27% (2017) | 0.60% (2013) | -0.33 pp |
Source: World Bank. Only countries with complete data (both points within the past 10 years) are shown.
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