R&D expenditure i
32 countries with data for 2024 · Frequency: Annual · Unit: % of GDP · Basic
Source: Eurostat (rd_e_gerdtot), retrieved 2026-10-17 · View on Eurostat · See technical sheet
EU272.26%
Euro area2.31%
Spain1.50% 17 of 32
Simple average1.73%
Highest · 
Sweden3.53%
Sweden3.53%Lowest · 
Montenegro0.29%
Montenegro0.29%Trend
Add or remove countries from the legend. Eurostat data, not seasonally adjusted unless stated.
Country ranking
| # | Country | Value | Year-on-year change | EU27 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| · |  European Union (27) | 2.26% | +0.01 pp | — |
| · | Euro area (21) | 2.31% | +0.03 pp | — |
| · | Euro area (20, until 2025) | 2.32% | +0.03 pp | — |
| 1 | Sweden | 3.53% | -0.11 pp | 1/27 |
| 2 |  Austria | 3.34% | +0.12 pp | 2/27 |
| 3 |  Belgium | 3.25% | +0.01 pp | 3/27 |
| 4 |  Finland | 3.22% | +0.13 pp | 4/27 |
| 5 |  Denmark | 3.15% | +0.08 pp | 5/27 |
| 6 |  Germany | 3.12% | +0.02 pp | 6/27 |
| 7 |  Iceland | 2.47% | -0.15 pp | — |
| 8 |  Netherlands | 2.37% | +0.07 pp | 7/27 |
| 9 |  France | 2.18% | +0.01 pp | 8/27 |
| 10 |  Slovenia | 2.14% | +0.01 pp | 9/27 |
| 11 |  Estonia | 1.98% | +0.14 pp | 10/27 |
| 12 |  Czechia | 1.82% | 0.00 pp | 11/27 |
| 13 |  Norway | 1.75% | -0.03 pp | — |
| 14 |  Portugal | 1.73% | +0.05 pp | 12/27 |
| 15 |  Ireland | 1.59% | +0.03 pp | 13/27 |
| 16 |  Greece | 1.53% | +0.03 pp | 14/27 |
| 17 |  Spain | 1.50% | +0.01 pp | 15/27 |
| 18 |  Türkiye | 1.46% | +0.07 pp | — |
| 19 |  Croatia | 1.41% | +0.04 pp | 16/27 |
| 19 |  Italy | 1.41% | +0.04 pp | 16/27 |
| 21 |  Poland | 1.40% | -0.16 pp | 18/27 |
| 22 |  Hungary | 1.31% | -0.07 pp | 19/27 |
| 23 |  Lithuania | 1.12% | +0.08 pp | 20/27 |
| 24 |  Luxembourg | 1.04% | -0.02 pp | 21/27 |
| 25 |  Slovakia | 0.98% | -0.06 pp | 22/27 |
| 26 |  Latvia | 0.94% | +0.12 pp | 23/27 |
| 27 |  Serbia | 0.93% | +0.05 pp | — |
| 28 |  Bulgaria | 0.77% | -0.02 pp | 24/27 |
| 29 |  Cyprus | 0.64% | -0.02 pp | 25/27 |
| 30 |  Malta | 0.61% | +0.03 pp | 26/27 |
| 31 |  Romania | 0.46% | -0.06 pp | 27/27 |
| 32 | Montenegro | 0.29% | -0.05 pp | — |
Download the full series Premium CSVExcel
About this indicator
- Which European country has the highest R&D expenditure?
- Sweden, with 3.53% in 2024. The EU27 figure is 2.26%.
- Where does Spain rank?
- Spain: 1.50% in 2024, rank 17 of 32 countries.
- What does R&D expenditure measure?
- R&D expenditure, in % of GDP. A higher value indicates a more favourable situation.
- Where does the R&D expenditure data come from?
- Eurostat, dataset rd_e_gerdtot («GERD by sector of performance»). RAC-EU downloads it from Eurostat's official API and checks it every day.
- How often is R&D expenditure updated?
- Annual. The latest period published is 2024; RAC-EU adds new data and revisions on the day Eurostat publishes them.
The full series since 1981, the chart and the analysis are in the Basic plan. See plans · Full methodology sheet →