In 2024, government allocations for research and development (R&D) at the European Union (EU) level reached 284.7 euros per capita, marking a 57.0% increase compared to 2014 (181.3 euros per capita).
The highest allocations among EU countries were observed in Luxembourg (759.2 euros per capita), followed by Denmark (586.8 euros) and the Netherlands (542.7 euros).
Conversely, the lowest R&D budget allocations per capita were recorded in Romania (19.1 euros), Bulgaria (38.3 euros), and Hungary (58.7 euros), with Portugal ranking fifth lowest (78.7 euros per capita, representing 0.29% of the gross domestic product — GDP).
Eurostat notes that changes in R&D allocations per capita can reflect shifts in countries’ populations.
The total government budget allocations for R&D in the EU were estimated at 127.916 billion euros, equating to 0.71% of the bloc’s GDP.
This figure represents an increase of 3.4% compared to 2023 (123.675 billion euros) and a 59.5% rise compared to 2014 (80.175 billion euros).
In the total value rankings, Portugal stands 13th in the EU chart with 837.419 million euros, led by Germany (44.917 billion euros) and with Malta at the bottom (41.615 million euros).
