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R&D expenditure by sector of performance, as a % of GDP (international)

data publication
Science in Figures
06 May 2025
R&D expenditure
In this data publication we look at R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP for a number of countries. We call this the R&D intensity. We also divide this percentage according to the sectors where the R&D is carried out: companies, higher education and research institutions.

In short

  • How much do different sectors spend on R&D? What percentage is this of GDP and what are the differences between a number of countries?
  • In most countries, the companies sector spends a higher share of R&D as a percentage of GDP compared to the Netherlands.
  • While R&D as a percentage of GDP spent by the higher education sector in the Netherlands is actually higher than in other countries.
Source: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)/Main Science and Technology Indicators (MSTI), March 2025
Notes: a) The private non-profit (PNP) sector is combined with the research institute sector. b) Switserland: 2021. United Kingdom and Singapore = 2022. 

An international comparison of the different sectors 
There is a big difference between the R&D intensity of countries. With a percentage of 2.23, the Netherlands is above the average of EU-27 (2.13), but below a number of countries with which the Netherlands wants to compare. While the R&D intensity of the Netherlands remained fairly stable in the period 2013-2019, it increased in 2020 and declined in 2021 slightly. This is not only due to additional investments, but also due to a decline in GDP due to the COVID-19 crisis. We saw this in more countries. After Korea, Sweden and the US have the highest R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP in 2023. In 2022 this was - respectively - the US and Sweden.

There are also differences in the percentage distribution across the various executive sectors: companies, higher education and research institutions. We observe that with the percentage that is executed by companies, the Netherlands scores low: most countries - compared to the Netherlands - have a higher share of the business sector. We observe that with the percentage that is carried out by higher education, the Netherlands scores higher than many other countries. At public research institutions the Netherlands has a lower R&D intensity than EU-27.
 

Source: OECD/MSTI, March 2025
Notes: Switserland: 2021. United Kingdom and Singapore = 2022.  

facts and figures

+1,36 Percentage point increase R&D intensity United Kingdom (2013-2022)

-0,19 Percentage point decrease in R&D intensity Finland (2013-2023)

+0,05 R&D intensity Netherlands reasonably stable (2013-2023)

R&D intensity development
Looking at the period 2013-2022, United Kingdom (+1.36), Korea (+1,18) and Belgium (+1,00) depict a strong increase in R&D intensity, just like the last period 2013-2023. Compared to the last period, the increase of the United Kingdom (+1,28) has increased further, whereas the increase of Korea (+1,26) and Belgium (+1,08) have decreased. Finland and Denmark have the strongest decline of R&D intensity in percentage point in the period 2013-2023. Last period, Ireland (-0,61) and Finland (-0,41) had the strongest decline. 

The COVID-19 crisis is impacting these numbers. For example, in the period 2013-2019, the percentage in Belgium increased by +0.84 percentage point, Korea by +0.69 percentage point and in Finland it decreased by -0.48 percentage point.

The R&D intensity of the Netherlands has - after a temporary increase - remained more or less the same in the period 2013-2023 with +0.05 percentage point. Most of the reference countries have a faster increase in their R&D intensity.

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