Global R&D spending reached $2.2 trillion in 2019. The intensity of this investment varies sharply, from 5.08% of GDP in South Korea to 1.74% in the United Kingdom. Patent filings have scaled to 4.2 million worldwide, while the economic return from each dollar of R&D is estimated at two to three dollars.
Key Takeaways
- 2.4% of global GDP spent on research and development in 2015
- 2.2% of global GDP spent on research and development in 2018
- China’s R&D intensity was 2.44% in 2022
- Federal R&D obligations increased by 1.7% from FY 2021 to FY 2022
- Federal R&D obligations increased by 8.2% from FY 2020 to FY 2021
- In the EU, public expenditure on R&D was 0.80% of GDP in 2022
- Top 10 corporate R&D spenders (US) spent $60.0 billion in R&D in 2022
- Amazon spent $54.7 billion on R&D in 2022
- Meta spent $27.9 billion on R&D in 2022
- The world had 9.8 million researchers (FTE) in 2018
- Women comprised 33% of researchers in the OECD in 2021
- R&D output measured by patent filings reached 4.2 million worldwide in 2019
- R&D tax credits increased R&D investment by 10% in a meta-analysis of OECD countries
- Public R&D produces positive spillovers; one survey estimates internal rates of return of public R&D at 20%–50%
- In the US, every $1 of R&D generates $2–$3 in additional economic output in the long run (estimate from NSF-supported analysis)
Global R&D intensity remains uneven, with South Korea highest while overall spending grows steadily and drives major spillovers.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Expenditure25 stats
01
2.4% of global GDP spent on research and development in 2015
02
2.2% of global GDP spent on research and development in 2018
03
China’s R&D intensity was 2.44% in 2022
04
United States R&D intensity was 3.46% in 2022
05
Japan’s R&D intensity was 3.17% in 2022
06
Germany’s R&D intensity was 3.13% in 2022
07
France’s R&D intensity was 2.19% in 2022
08
United Kingdom’s R&D intensity was 1.74% in 2022
09
India’s R&D intensity was 0.74% in 2022
10
Brazil’s R&D intensity was 1.23% in 2022
11
Russia’s R&D intensity was 1.08% in 2022
12
South Korea’s R&D intensity was 5.08% in 2022
13
Canada’s R&D intensity was 2.38% in 2022
14
Australia’s R&D intensity was 1.68% in 2022
15
Total global R&D spending was $2.0 trillion in 2017 (in current US$)
16
Total global R&D spending was $2.2 trillion in 2019 (in current US$)
17
OECD total gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) was $1,089.6 billion in 2022 (current prices)
18
OECD gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) was $1,029.7 billion in 2021 (current prices)
19
OECD gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) was $965.6 billion in 2020 (current prices)
20
Federal R&D obligations were $109.4 billion in FY 2022
21
Federal R&D obligations were $108.7 billion in FY 2021
22
Federal R&D obligations were $100.4 billion in FY 2020
23
R&D tax incentives amounted to 0.12% of GDP on average across OECD countries in 2021
24
R&D spending in the EU reached €365.7 billion in 2022
25
GERD in the EU increased to €436.5 billion in 2022
Interpretation
Global Expenditure Interpretation
R&D investment is rising globally in dollar terms but concentrating in the biggest spenders, with total global spending increasing from $2.0 trillion in 2017 to $2.2 trillion in 2019 while R&D intensity in 2022 varies sharply from 0.74% in India to 5.08% in South Korea and 3.46% in the United States.
More related reading
02 · Category
Public Funding7 stats
01
Federal R&D obligations increased by 1.7% from FY 2021 to FY 2022
02
Federal R&D obligations increased by 8.2% from FY 2020 to FY 2021
03
In the EU, public expenditure on R&D was 0.80% of GDP in 2022
04
Public expenditure on R&D in Germany was 1.02% of GDP in 2022
05
Public expenditure on R&D in France was 0.86% of GDP in 2022
06
Public expenditure on R&D in the UK was 0.52% of GDP in 2022
07
Public expenditure on R&D in Sweden was 1.02% of GDP in 2022
Interpretation
Public Funding Interpretation
Federal R&D obligations rose only 1.7% from FY 2021 to FY 2022, after an 8.2% jump the year before, while EU countries spent between 0.52% and 1.02% of GDP on public R&D in 2022, led by Germany and Sweden at 1.02%.
More related reading
03 · Category
Private Funding7 stats
01
Top 10 corporate R&D spenders (US) spent $60.0 billion in R&D in 2022
02
Amazon spent $54.7 billion on R&D in 2022
03
Meta spent $27.9 billion on R&D in 2022
04
Microsoft spent $28.8 billion on R&D in fiscal year 2022
05
Samsung Electronics R&D spending was KRW 24.8 trillion in 2022
06
The EU’s business enterprise R&D intensity was 1.35% of GDP in 2022
07
Business enterprise R&D in the EU increased to €252.2 billion in 2022
Interpretation
Private Funding Interpretation
In 2022, the EU pushed business enterprise R&D to €252.2 billion with an R&D intensity of 1.35% of GDP, while major global firms alone spent tens of billions such as Amazon’s $54.7 billion and Microsoft’s $28.8 billion.
More related reading
04 · Category
Researchers And Outputs5 stats
01
The world had 9.8 million researchers (FTE) in 2018
02
Women comprised 33% of researchers in the OECD in 2021
03
R&D output measured by patent filings reached 4.2 million worldwide in 2019
04
World patent applications under PCT were 271,000 in 2022
05
Citation impact normalized to world level was 1.0 in 2020 for global publications
Interpretation
Researchers And Outputs Interpretation
From 2018 to 2022, global innovation appears to be scaling as the world reached 9.8 million R&D researchers in 2018 and patenting surged with 4.2 million filings in 2019 and 271,000 PCT applications in 2022, while published research stayed at the world-normalized citation impact level of 1.0 in 2020 and women represented 33% of researchers in the OECD by 2021.
More related reading
05 · Category
Economic And Impact7 stats
01
R&D tax credits increased R&D investment by 10% in a meta-analysis of OECD countries
02
Public R&D produces positive spillovers; one survey estimates internal rates of return of public R&D at 20%–50%
03
In the US, every $1of R&D generates $2–$3 in additional economic output in the long run (estimate from NSF-supported analysis)
04
R&D spending is a leading predictor of firm productivity; firms in the top quartile of R&D intensity had ~20% higher labor productivity than those in the bottom quartile (OECD evidence)
05
Increasing R&D spending by 10% increases patent output by 3%–6% in panel studies of firms
06
R&D intensity in the EU averaged 2.19% in 2022
07
South Korea’s R&D intensity was 5.08% in 2022 (highest among listed countries)
Interpretation
Economic And Impact Interpretation
Across countries, stronger R&D effort is consistently linked to higher returns, with a 10% rise in R&D boosting investment by 10%, patents by 3% to 6%, and long run economic output by about $2 to $3 per $1 spent.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). R&D Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/r-d-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "R&D Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/r-d-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "R&D Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/r-d-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)