Global Research and Development Expenditures: Fact Sheet

"Research and development (R&D) plays a central role in advanced economies in areas such as economic growth and job creation, industrial competitiveness, national security, energy, agriculture, transportation, public health and well-being, environmental protection, and expanding the frontiers of human knowledge understanding.1 Accordingly, companies, governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, and others around the world have made substantial investments in R&D. Since 2000, total global R&D expenditures have more than doubled.

The United States emerged as a global leader in science and technology in the second half of the 20th century. During this period, U.S. public and private investments in R&D grew rapidly and helped to propel the United States to a position of global economic leadership. By 1960, the United States accounted for approximately 69% of the world’s R&D funding. By 2015, however, the U.S. share of global R&D expenditures2 had fallen to about 29%...."
Global research expenditures