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Research intensity varies by an order of magnitude.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE CHART
The story behind the numbers
Research and development expenditure as a share of GDP compares the intensity of investment across economies. It includes current and capital spending on systematic research work. A larger share does not guarantee successful innovation, and publication lags can be substantial.
THE TAKEAWAY
Research intensity varies by an order of magnitude.
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R&D expenditure as a share of GDP. Read the displayed year carefully.
Data behind the visual
This selected comparison includes 25 economies with observations in 2020 shown in % of GDP.
| Country | Value |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 4.5% |
| Sweden | 3.5% |
| United States | 3.4% |
| Japan | 3.3% |
| Germany | 3.1% |
| United Kingdom | 2.9% |
| China | 2.4% |
| France | 2.3% |
| Netherlands | 2.3% |
| Norway | 2.2% |
| Canada | 1.9% |
| Italy | 1.5% |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.5% |
| Poland | 1.4% |
| Türkiye | 1.4% |
| Thailand | 1.3% |
| Brazil | 1.2% |
| Egypt | 0.9% |
| India | 0.6% |
| South Africa | 0.6% |
| Argentina | 0.5% |
| Saudi Arabia | 0.5% |
| Mexico | 0.3% |
| Indonesia | 0.3% |
| Philippines | 0.3% |
EXPLORE THE DATA
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