Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP was 4.9% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in Republic of Korea, 2000–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
Republic of Korea recorded 4.9% for research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in Republic of Korea peaked at 4.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2000.
That places Republic of Korea 2nd out of 121 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.0% | — |
| 2001 | 2.2% | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 4.5% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 4.8% | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.2% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 1 Israel 6.3% compare
- 2 Republic of Korea 4.9% compare
- 4 Sweden 3.6% compare
- 5 United States of America 3.4% compare
More economy & growth data for Republic of Korea
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2815 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 10,198 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 0.6183 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.406 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 14,708 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 4.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 577.49 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 20.92 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.84 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in Republic of Korea?
- Research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp in Republic of Korea was 4.9% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2000.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp?
- Republic of Korea ranks 2nd out of 121 countries with data for 2023.
- Is research and development expenditure as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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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