EU spent €381.4 billion on R&D in 2023

BRUSSELS (WAM)

In 2023, the EU spent €381.4 billion on research & development (R&D), which is 6.7 percent more than in the previous year (€357.4 billion) and 57.9 percent more than in 2013 (€241.5 billion).

R&D intensity, defined as R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, remained stable compared with 2022 (2.2 percent).

Between 2013 and 2023, R&D intensity in the EU increased by 0.1 percentage points (pp).

Between 2013 and 2023, R&D intensity increased in 19 EU countries, with the largest increases recorded in Belgium (1.0 pp), Poland (0.7 pp), and Greece (0.7 pp).

In 2023, 5 EU countries registered an R&D intensity above three percent.

The highest R&D intensity was recorded in Sweden (3.6 percent), Belgium and Austria (3.3 percent each).

Germany and Finland followed with 3.1 percent each.

By contrast, five EU countries reported R&D intensity below one percent: Romania (0.5 percent), Malta (0.6 percent), Cyprus (0.7 percent), Bulgaria and Latvia (both 0.8 percent).

The business enterprise sector continued to account for the largest share of R&D expenditure.

In 2023 it represented 66 percent of EU R&D spending, totalling €253.1 billion.

It was followed by the higher education sector (€81.7 billion; 21 percent), the government sector (€41.0 billion; 11 percent), and the private non-profit sector (€5.5 billion; one percent).