Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in India
India: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP was 0.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in India, 2000–2020
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2020, research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in India stood at 0.6%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 18.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in India peaked at 0.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2020.
That places India 51st out of 106 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.8% | — |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | +5.2% |
| 2005 | 0.8% | +8.9% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 0.7% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More economy & growth data for India
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.66 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1347 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 364.05 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 11.76 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 31,792 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1505 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 406.63 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 32,680 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 5.33 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in India?
- Research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in India was 0.6% in 2020, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2020.
- How does India rank for research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp?
- India ranks 51st out of 106 countries with data for 2020.
- Is research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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