The most commonly used indicator for comparison purposes is the ratio of expenditure on R&D to gross domestic product (GDP). As table 25.3 shows, in 2000-01 Australia's R&D expenditure was 1.53% of its GDP, ranking it below Sweden (3.78%), Finland (3.37%), Japan (2.98%), the United States of America (2.70%), Korea (2.68%), Switzerland (2.64%), Germany (2.48%), France (2.15%), Denmark (2.09%), the Netherlands (2.02%), Belgium (1.96%), the United Kingdom (1.86%), Canada (1.84%) and Norway (1.70%).
In terms of business enterprise R&D, Australia's ratio of R&D expenditure to GDP (0.72%) is again below the ratios for the industrialised countries referred to earlier, and is also below the rate for the Czech Republic.
For government sector R&D as a percentage of GDP, Australia ranks higher. An R&D to GDP ratio of 0.35% places it fourth in the group of OECD member countries for which data are available, behind only France (0.38%), Korea (0.36%) and Finland (0.36%). Government sector R&D as a percentage of GDP is much higher for Australia than for the United States of America or Canada.
For the higher education sector, Australia ranks in the top half. With an R&D to GDP ratio of 0.41%, Australia ranks behind Sweden (0.81%), Switzerland (0.61%), Finland (0.60%), Canada (0.57%), the Netherlands (0.53%), Norway (0.49%), Belgium (0.47%), Japan (0.43%) and Denmark (0.42%).
25.3 EXPENDITURE ON R&D AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP, OECD countries - 2000-01
|
| Business | Government | Higher education | All sectorsl(a) |
Country | % | % | % | % |
|
Sweden(b) | 2.84 | 0.13 | 0.81 | 3.78 |
Finland | 2.39 | 0.36 | 0.60 | 3.37 |
Japan | 2.11 | 0.29 | 0.43 | 2.98 |
United States of America | 2.04 | 0.20 | 0.37 | 2.70 |
Korea | 1.98 | 0.36 | 0.30 | 2.68 |
Switzerland | 1.95 | 0.03 | 0.61 | 2.64 |
Germany | 1.76 | 0.33 | 0.40 | 2.48 |
France | 1.37 | 0.38 | 0.36 | 2.15 |
Denmark(b) | 1.32 | 0.32 | 0.42 | 2.09 |
Netherlands(b) | 1.14 | 0.33 | 0.53 | 2.02 |
Belgium(b) | 1.40 | 0.06 | 0.47 | 1.96 |
United Kingdom | 1.22 | 0.23 | 0.38 | 1.86 |
Canada | 1.04 | 0.21 | 0.57 | 1.84 |
Norway(b) | 0.95 | 0.26 | 0.49 | 1.70 |
Australia | 0.72 | 0.35 | 0.41 | 1.53 |
Czech Republic | 0.81 | 0.34 | 0.19 | 1.35 |
Italy(b) | 0.51 | 0.20 | 0.33 | 1.04 |
Spain | 0.50 | 0.15 | 0.28 | 0.94 |
Hungary | 0.36 | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.81 |
Poland | 0.25 | 0.23 | 0.22 | 0.70 |
Slovak Republic | 0.45 | 0.17 | 0.07 | 0.69 |
|
(a) Includes private non-profit.
(b) Data for 1999-2000. |
Source: OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators 2002-1. |