R&D expenditure in the Netherlands by funding source

In this publication we show the development of R&D expenditure in the Netherlands by different funding sources, both in millions of euros and as a % of GDP.

15 April 2025

In short

Business enterprises are the largest R&D funders.
They funded 58% of R&D performed in the Netherlands.
10% of R&D performed in the Netherlands is funded by foreign sources.

R&D expenditure in the Netherlands by funding source

Export Table Data

	Abroad	Other national	Government total	Business enterprise	Total (without split)
1999	844	322	2495	3752
2000					7720
2001	887	339	2954	4172
2002					8391
2003	949	317	3217	4300
2004					9133
2005	1173	398	3310	4526
2006					9860
2007	1101	389	3474	5046
2008					10011
2009	1129	462	3648	4699
2010					10188
2011	1386	443	4167	6239
2012	1567	438	4057	6451
2013	1520	380	4445	7894
2014	1560	378	4565	8092
2015	1708	370	4672	8058
2016	1747	379	4604	8505
2017	1906	375	4728	9072
2018	1849	416	4896	9393
2019	1845	465	5221	10229
2020	1915	454	5603	10520
2021	2040	488	6059	11164
2022	2210	529	6268	12611

Data: Download as CSV file

Source: Statistics Netherlands

Notes: The research institutions are classified as funder of R&D in the government sector. "Other national" consists of higher education and the PNP sector (private non-profit). The 2022 figures are preliminary.In 2019 Statistics Netherlands brought the Dutch R&D-statistics into line with the international guidelines as written down in the Frascati manual (2015). This revision has been passed through as of 2013. More information on the revision can be found in the section ‘about the data’ at the bottom of the factsheet funding and performance of R&D in the Netherlands.

R&D expenditure by funding source, in percentage of total and GDP

Export Table Data

	Abroad	Other national	Government	Business enterprise
1999	0,2	0,08	0,6	0,91
2000
2001	0,19	0,07	0,62	0,88
2002
2003	0,19	0,06	0,64	0,85
2004
2005	0,22	0,07	0,61	0,84
2006
2007	0,18	0,06	0,57	0,83
2008
2009	0,18	0,07	0,59	0,76
2010
2011	0,22	0,07	0,65	0,97
2012	0,24	0,07	0,63	1,01
2013	0,23	0,06	0,67	1,19
2014	0,23	0,06	0,67	1,19
2015	0,24	0,05	0,67	1,15
2016	0,24	0,05	0,64	1,18
2017	0,25	0,05	0,63	1,21
2018	0,23	0,05	0,62	1,19
2019	0,22	0,06	0,63	1,23
2020	0,24	0,06	0,69	1,29
2021	0,23	0,05	0,68	1,25
2022	0,22	0,05	0,63	1,27

Data: Download as CSV file

Source: Statistics Netherlands

Notes: The research institutions are classified as funder of R&D in the government sector. "Other national" consists of higher education and the PNP sector (private non-profit). The 2022 figures are preliminary.In 2019 Statistics Netherlands brought the Dutch R&D-statistics into line with the international guidelines as written down in the Frascati manual (2015). This revision has been passed through as of 2013. More information on the revision can be found in the section ‘about the data’ at the bottom of the factsheet funding and performance of R&D in the Netherlands.

Analysis
Although funding from all sources showed a marked increase from 1990, the increase of funding by business enterprises is stronger than funding by the government sector.

Business enterprises finance a little over half of the R&D carried out in the Netherlands. The government's share fell from nearly 50% in 1990 to about one-third from 2011 onwards. The share of funding from abroad increased in the nineties, and varies from 1997 onwards between 10 and 13%.

Download the excel file with data from 1990 onwards.

For an explanation of the used definitions and abbreviations we refer to the webpage Definitions for Science in Figures.

In short

R&D expenditure in the Netherlands by funding source

R&D expenditure by funding source, in percentage of total and GDP

More data

Definitions and abbreviations

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