Countries by R&D Spending (% GDP)
Complete ranking of 100 countries • % • Updated 2026
About R&d Spend % Of GDP Rankings
Israel leads all 100 countries in R&d Spend % Of GDP with a value of 6.02, while Myanmar ranks last at 0.02. This represents a 253-fold difference between the highest and lowest values.
What R&d Spend % Of GDP Measures
R&d Spend % Of GDP is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the World Bank. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining R&d Spend % Of GDP across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 0.02 (Myanmar) to 6.02 (Israel) — a 253-fold difference across 100 countries.
Regional Patterns
European countries dominate this ranking, holding 13 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 0.25 to 1.49. The overall spread from 0.02 to 6.02 reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
The top of the ranking is competitive: Israel and South Korea are separated by only 16%, indicating that the leading positions could shift with updated data.
Continental Leaders
Highest Ranked
The top five countries for R&d Spend % Of GDP are Israel (6.02), South Korea (5.21), United States (3.59), Sweden (3.41), and Belgium (3.41). Together, these nations represent the global leaders in this metric.
Lowest Ranked
At the other end of the spectrum, Myanmar (0.02), Iraq (0.04), Trinidad and Tobago (0.05), Guatemala (0.06), and Kyrgyzstan (0.06) have the lowest values globally.
Data Source & Methodology
Rankings are based on the latest available data from World Bank, covering 100 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
Top 10 Countries
Full Rankings
| Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |  Israel | 6.0% | Asia | 100% |
| 2nd |  South Korea | 5.2% | Asia | 99% |
| 3rd |  United States | 3.6% | North America | 98% |
| 4th |  Sweden | 3.4% | Europe | 97% |
| 5th |  Belgium | 3.4% | Europe | 96% |
| 6th |  Japan | 3.4% | Asia | 95% |
| 7th |  Switzerland | 3.3% | Europe | 94% |
| 8th |  Austria | 3.2% | Europe | 93% |
| 9th |  Germany | 3.1% | Europe | 92% |
| 10th |  Finland | 3.0% | Europe | 91% |
| 11th |  United Kingdom | 2.9% | Europe | 90% |
| 12th |  Denmark | 2.9% | Europe | 89% |
| 13th |  Iceland | 2.6% | Europe | 88% |
| 14th |  China | 2.6% | Asia | 87% |
| 15th |  Netherlands | 2.3% | Europe | 86% |
| 16th |  France | 2.2% | Europe | 85% |
| 17th |  Singapore | 2.2% | Asia | 84% |
| 18th |  Slovenia | 2.1% | Europe | 83% |
| 19th |  Czechia | 2.0% | Europe | 82% |
| 20th |  Australia | 1.9% | Oceania | 81% |
| 21st |  Estonia | 1.8% | Europe | 80% |
| 22nd |  Portugal | 1.7% | Europe | 79% |
| 23rd |  Canada | 1.7% | North America | 78% |
| 24th |  Norway | 1.6% | Europe | 77% |
| 25th |  United Arab Emirates | 1.5% | Asia | 76% |
| 26th |  Greece | 1.5% | Europe | 75% |
| 27th |  New Zealand | 1.5% | Oceania | 74% |
| 28th |  Poland | 1.5% | Europe | 73% |
| 29th |  Spain | 1.4% | Europe | 72% |
| 30th |  Croatia | 1.4% | Europe | 71% |
| 31st |  Hungary | 1.4% | Europe | 70% |
| 32nd |  Italy | 1.4% | Europe | 69% |
| 33rd |  Turkey | 1.3% | Europe | 68% |
| 34th |  Thailand | 1.2% | Asia | 67% |
| 35th |  Brazil | 1.1% | South America | 66% |
| 36th |  Hong Kong | 1.1% | Asia | 65% |
| 37th |  Lithuania | 1.1% | Europe | 64% |
| 38th |  Egypt | 1.0% | Africa | 63% |
| 39th |  Slovakia | 1.0% | Europe | 62% |
| 40th |  Luxembourg | 1.0% | Europe | 61% |
| 41st |  Ireland | 1.0% | Europe | 60% |
| 42nd |  Malaysia | 1.0% | Asia | 59% |
| 43rd |  Serbia | 1.0% | Europe | 58% |
| 44th |  Russia | 0.9% | Europe | 57% |
| 45th |  Kenya | 0.8% | Africa | 56% |
| 46th |  Rwanda | 0.8% | Africa | 55% |
| 47th |  Latvia | 0.8% | Europe | 54% |
| 48th |  Bulgaria | 0.8% | Europe | 53% |
| 49th |  Cyprus | 0.7% | Europe | 52% |
| 50th |  Iran | 0.7% | Asia | 51% |
| 51st |  Qatar | 0.7% | Asia | 50% |
| 52nd |  Namibia | 0.6% | Africa | 49% |
| 53rd |  India | 0.6% | Asia | 48% |
| 54th |  Uruguay | 0.6% | South America | 47% |
| 55th |  South Africa | 0.6% | Africa | 46% |
| 56th |  Malta | 0.6% | Europe | 45% |
| 57th |  Belarus | 0.6% | Europe | 44% |
| 58th |  Saudi Arabia | 0.6% | Asia | 43% |
| 59th |  Argentina | 0.5% | South America | 42% |
| 60th |  Romania | 0.5% | Europe | 41% |
| 61st |  Vietnam | 0.4% | Asia | 40% |
| 62nd |  North Macedonia | 0.4% | Europe | 39% |
| 63rd |  Congo | 0.4% | Africa | 38% |
| 64th |  Oman | 0.4% | Asia | 37% |
| 65th |  Chile | 0.4% | South America | 36% |
| 66th |  Cuba | 0.4% | North America | 35% |
| 67th |  Costa Rica | 0.3% | North America | 34% |
| 68th |  Ukraine | 0.3% | Europe | 33% |
| 69th |  Uganda | 0.3% | Africa | 32% |
| 70th |  Colombia | 0.3% | North America | 31% |
| 71st |  Indonesia | 0.3% | Asia | 30% |
| 72nd |  Mexico | 0.3% | North America | 29% |
| 73rd |  Macao | 0.3% | Asia | 28% |
| 74th |  Georgia | 0.3% | Europe | 27% |
| 75th |  Burkina Faso | 0.3% | Africa | 26% |
| 76th |  Mauritius | 0.2% | Africa | 25% |
| 77th |  Bermuda | 0.2% | North America | 24% |
| 78th |  Moldova | 0.2% | Europe | 23% |
| 79th |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.2% | Europe | 22% |
| 80th |  Azerbaijan | 0.2% | Europe | 21% |
| 81st |  Armenia | 0.2% | Europe | 20% |
| 82nd |  Mali | 0.2% | Africa | 19% |
| 83rd |  Pakistan | 0.2% | Asia | 18% |
| 84th |  Peru | 0.2% | South America | 17% |
| 85th |  Panama | 0.2% | North America | 16% |
| 86th |  Kazakhstan | 0.1% | Asia | 15% |
| 87th |  El Salvador | 0.1% | North America | 14% |
| 88th |  Turkmenistan | 0.1% | Asia | 13% |
| 89th |  Uzbekistan | 0.1% | Asia | 12% |
| 90th |  Paraguay | 0.1% | South America | 11% |
| 91st |  Sri Lanka | 0.1% | Asia | 10% |
| 92nd |  Kuwait | 0.1% | Asia | 9% |
| 93rd |  Tajikistan | 0.1% | Asia | 8% |
| 94th |  Mongolia | 0.1% | Asia | 7% |
| 95th |  Syria | 0.1% | Asia | 6% |
| 96th |  Kyrgyzstan | 0.1% | Asia | 5% |
| 97th |  Guatemala | 0.1% | North America | 4% |
| 98th |  Trinidad and Tobago | 0.0% | North America | 3% |
| 99th |  Iraq | 0.0% | Asia | 2% |
| 100th |  Myanmar | 0.0% | Asia | 1% |