Eastern Asia vs Korea: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP

Eastern Asia
2.8%
in 2023
Korea
4.9%
in 2023
Eastern Asia rank
3rd
Korea rank
2nd

Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP over time

  • Eastern Asia
  • Korea
012345200020112023

How they compare

Korea currently reports 4.9% against 2.8% in Eastern Asia, a difference of 2.1%.

That makes Korea's figure about 1.7 times Eastern Asia's.

Across all 24 years both countries report, Korea has been ahead every year.

Eastern Asia ranks 3rd and Korea ranks 2nd of 22 groups.

Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Eastern Asia Korea Difference Ahead
2000s 2.0% 2.5% 0.5% Korea
2010s 2.3% 3.8% 1.5% Korea
2020s 2.7% 4.7% 2.0% Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp, Eastern Asia or Korea?
Korea, at 4.9% against 2.8% in Eastern Asia as of 2023.
What is the difference in research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp between Eastern Asia and Korea?
2.1%, with Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Eastern Asia and Korea?
24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
How do Eastern Asia and Korea rank globally for research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp?
Eastern Asia ranks 3rd and Korea ranks 2nd of 22 groups.
Where does this data come from?
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Eastern Asia vs Korea: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/research-and-development-expenditure-as-a-proportion-of-gdp-percent/eastern-asia/korea-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/research-and-development-expenditure-as-a-proportion-of-gdp-percent/eastern-asia/korea-rep/">Eastern Asia vs Korea: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
143 places, 2,753 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed