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R&D expenditure in the Netherlands by sector of performance

data publication
Science in Figures
09 April 2024
R&D research Innovation Finance
Research & Development (R&D) is carried out by companies, research institutions, and within higher education. We show how much the various sectors spend on R&D, both in total and as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP).

In short

  • The expenditure amounted to 2.30% of GDP in 2022.
  • The absolute volume of R&D expenditure shows a trend of growth, but in relative terms, R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP has remained the same for years, with the exception of an increase in 2020.
  • The increase in 2020 is partly due to an increase in spending and partly due to a decline in GDP due to the Covid-19 crisis.

R&D expenditure by sector of performance

Source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
Notes: The 2020 and 2021 figures are preliminary. From 2011, the business enterprise sector also includes companies with fewer than 10 employees. Statistics Netherlands has revised the classification of the population of companies and institutions from statistical year 2012 onwards. As a result, the level of the R&D expenditure in the business enterprise sector declined and that of research institute sector increased. The higher education sector includes universities, universities of applied sciences and university medical hospitals. The research institute sector includes the Private Non Profit sector. 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.  As a consequence, there is a break between 2012 and 2013. Mainly due to the fact that R&D performed by hired personnel is now included in the R&D-statistics, which leads to a rise of R&D expenditure by €1,7 billion from 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
The volume of R&D expenditure shows a trend of growth in all sectors for the entire period. Relatively speaking, the increase is smallest in research institutions. Companies experienced a strong decrease in 2009 probably due to the financial crisis. The large increase between 2010 and 2011 and between 2012 and 2013 is largely caused by changes in the data collection.
 

R&D expenditure in economic perspective

Source: Statistics Netherlands
Notes: The 2021 and 2022 figures are preliminary. From 2011, the business enterprise sector also includes companies with fewer than ten employees. Statistics Netherlands has revised the classification of the population of companies and institutions from statistical year 2012 on. As a result, the level of the R&D expenditure in the business enterprise sector declined and that of research institute sector increased. The higher education sector includes universities, universities of applied sciences and university medical hospitals. The research institute sector includes the Private Non Profit sector. 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. As a consequence, there is a break between 2012 and 2013. Because of the revision R&D-expenditure rises by €1,7 billion and some research institutes (those with less than 50% government funding) are moved to the business sector. 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
R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP first increases gradually from 1990 to 2008, to increase significantly in 2011, mainly due to changes in the data collection by Statistics Netherlands. Changes in the data collection also explain the rise in 2013. From 2013, the GDP percentage has more or less stabilized. In 2020 it rises to 2.29, to drop back to 2.27 in 2021. In 2022 it rises again to 2,30. The increase in 2020 is partly due to an increase in spending and partly due to a decline in GDP due to the Covid-19 crisis.

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