EU governments' R&D investment has rosen in 10 years, but per-capita spending varies widely

EU governments increased their investment in R&D by 60.5 % between 2015 and 2015.

A report published by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, in August 2026 showed that government investment in R&D across the 27 member states amounted to an estimated €130.2 billion, equivalent to 0.69 % of GDP, or €288.9 per inhabitant.

Eurostat also compiled data for non-EU European countries, such as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. These countries all feature in the top four of the countries listed as having the highest per capita government investment in R&D. Switzerland tops the list with €970.60 per capita, followed by Luxembourg - the only EU country in the top four - with €917.2 per capita.

By way of comparison, the governments that invest the least per capita are Romania (€18.8), Hungary (€57.4…