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  1. Science and space7 countries

    Research spending targets outside the EU: of 8, 2 were met, by Korea and the UK

    • Korea: 3.5% by 20123.69
    • UK: 2.4% by 20272.68
    • China: 2.5% by 20202.36
    • China: 2.2% by 20152.02
    • Japan: 4% by 20203.27
    • Brazil: 1.5% by 20101.16
    • Russia: 1.77% by 20151.1
    • India: 2% by 20170.67

    Research spending in the year due, % of GDP

    Did it come true?Came true: 2 of 8

    Of 8, 2 were met, by Korea and the UK.

    Korea: 3.5% by 20123.69UK: 2.4% by 20272.68China: 2.5% by 20202.36China: 2.2% by 20152.02Japan: 4% by 20203.27Brazil: 1.5% by 20101.16Russia: 1.77% by 20151.1India: 2% by 20170.67

    India aimed for 2% of GDP by 2017 and spent 0.67%; Russia aimed for 1.77% by 2015 and spent 1.1%. China fell a little short both times: 2.02% against 2.2% and 2.36% against 2.5%.

    Source: Quotes from primary sources, facts from official statistics (links on the back)Open on the chart →
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    Governments often set a goal of spending a given share of GDP on research and development. Here are eight such goals of seven countries and what they spent in the year due, government and companies together.

    A row is one promise: who, what and by when. The question is whether at least half came true. Answer Yes or No, or just open the answer: each row gets its outcome and what actually came of it, the card a stamp counting those that came true. Quotes and links to the facts are below.

    Targets: verbatim from government plans, decrees and strategies. Fact: World Bank, World Development Indicators (UNESCO Institute for Statistics data), GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS, linked on the back for each row. Outcome: «came true» — the promised number reached by the deadline («about» within 5%), an event happened before the end of the year promised; «exceeded» — with room to spare; «nearly» — short by no more than 10%; «late» — reached, but after the deadline; «did not come true» — not reached; «came true, then undone» — reached, then reversed. The deadline is the end of the year named.

    The UK deadline, 2027, has not come: the bar is 2023, and the target is already passed (after the statistics office revised its method). Korea’s bolder goal of 5% by 2012 and Russia’s 2.5% by 2020 are separate cards.

    A question for this picture

    Why do research spending targets come true more often where spending is already high?

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