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Science: Finance

Question for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

UIN HL3441, tabled on 9 November 2015

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of UK GDP is spent on science and research in the UK, and how that figure compares with other countries in the EU.

Answered on

23 November 2015

The UK invested 1.7% of GDP in research and development in 2013, compared to an EU28 average of 1.9%.


The UK has a world-class science and research base and achieves a high rate of return for its investment. With 0.9% of global population, 4.1% of researchers and 3.2% of R&D expenditure, the UK accounts for 6.4% of articles, 11.6% of citations, and 15.9% of the most highly cited articles. We are the most productive science base in the G7, and rank first amongst comparable major research nations for Field Weighted Citations Impact.

Answered by

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills