NEWS | Wednesday, 12 March 2008

EU27 R&D spending stable at 1.84% of GDP in 2006

In 2006, the EU27 spent 1.84% of GDP on Research & Development (R&D). In 2005, R&D intensity (i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP) was also 1.84% and in 2000 it was 1.86%. In 2006, R&D expenditure in the EU27 amounted to more than 210 billion euro, compared with 170 billion euro in 2000.
Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities published the 2008 edition of Science, Technology and Innovation in Europe. This publication covers a wide range of indicators in line with the strategic goals set out by the European Council in the Lisbon strategy aiming to turn the European union by 2010 into the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. The indicators include R&D expenditure, R&D personnel, patents, venture capital, high-tech external trade and other indicators related to high-tech and knowledge intensive sectors of the economy.
In 2006, the highest R&D intensity in the EU27 was registered in Sweden (3.82% of GDP) and Finland (3.45%), followed by Germany (2.51%), Austria (2.45%) and Denmark (2.43%). The Member States with the lowest R&D intensity were Cyprus (0.42%), Romania (0.46%), Bulgaria (0.48%) and Slovakia (0.49%).
The highest increases in R&D intensity between 2000 and 2006 were found in Austria (from 1.91% to 2.45%), Estonia (from 0.61% to 1.14%) and the Czech Republic (from 1.21% to 1.54%).
Together, Germany (58 billion euro in 2006), France (38 bn) and the United Kingdom (32 bn in 2005) spent around 60% of total R&D expenditure in the EU27.
In 2006, 4.8% of the labour force in the EU27 worked as scientists or engineers. The highest shares of scientists and engineers were found in Belgium (7.9%), Ireland (6.8%), Finland (6.7%), Sweden (6.5%) and Denmark (6.0%), and the lowest shares in Portugal (2.7%), Bulgaria, Austria and Slovakia (all 3.0%).
In 2006 in the EU27, 12 million workers were employed in medium high-tech manufacturing and 2.3 million in high-tech manufacturing, the equivalent of 5.5% and 1.1% respectively of total employment.
The leading region in the EU27 and EFTA in terms of employment in high- and medium high-tech manufacturing was Lombardia in Italy with 448 000 people employed in 2006, followed by Stuttgart in Germany (377 000) and Cataluña in Spain (286 000). Germany dominated the top 20 list with eleven regions, followed by Italy (5) and France (2).
Stuttgart had the highest relative employment in high- and medium high-tech manufacturing with 19.9% of total employment, followed by Karlsruhe (17.2%) also in Germany. In the top 20 list, Germany had eleven regions, including the eight highest positions, followed by the Czech Republic (4), France and Hungary (2 each).
In 2006 in the EU27, 70 million people were employed in knowledge intensive services (KIS) and 7 million in high-tech KIS, the equivalent of 32.6% and 3.3% respectively of total employment.
The regions in the EU27 and EFTA with the highest number of people employed in KIS were Île de France in France (2.1 million people employed) and Lombardia in Italy (1.4 million). The dominance of German regions was less apparent in terms of those employed in KIS than high-tech manufacturing: Germany had five regions in the top 20 list, followed by Spain, France and the United Kingdom (3 each).
In relative terms the highest employment in KIS were found in Stockholm in Sweden with 56.7% of total employment and in Inner London (56.6%) in the United Kingdom. Sweden had five regions in the top 20 list, followed by the United Kingdom (4).