OECD 2024 R&D report shows growing investment in defence projects

Global R&D investment is increasingly targeted on defence projects over environmental or energy initiatives, according to the latest release from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The OECD's findings, published on 31/03/2026, found that funding for energy and environment-related R&D across OECD member states fell by 8.0% in 2024, while defense R&D budgets grew by 1.2%.

While total R&D investment across the 38 member countries of OECD remained stable, the release highlighted a significant growth gap in 2024 between major economies. Total expenditure on R&D in the OECD grew by 2.6%, matching the growth rate of 2023. The United States saw growth of 3.4%, and countries such as Japan, Korea and Turkey reported growth rates exceeding 5%. In contrast, the European Union experienced a marginal 0.4% increase, while its largest economy, Germany, saw a 0.4% decline in R&D investment.

The OECD reported that the global R&D landscape is increasingly dominated by the United States and China, which have both reached unprecedented spending levels. They note that…