India vs South Africa: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP

India
0.6%
in 2020
South Africa
0.6%
in 2022
India rank
58th
South Africa rank
60th

Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP over time

  • India
  • South Africa
00.20.40.60.8200020112022

How they compare

India currently reports 0.6% against 0.6% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.

That makes India's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 19 shared years of data; in 2001 it was India ahead.

India ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 60th of 121 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade India South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 0.8% 0.7% 0.0% India
2010s 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% India
2020s 0.6% 0.6% 0.0% India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp, India or South Africa?
India, at 0.6% against 0.6% in South Africa as of 2020.
What is the difference in research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp between India and South Africa?
0.0%, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
19 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2020.
How do India and South Africa rank globally for research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp?
India ranks 58th and South Africa ranks 60th of 121 countries.
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

India vs South Africa: 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/india/south-africa/

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/india/south-africa/">India vs South Africa: 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