R&D Expenditure (% GDP) — methodology

What this metric measures

Total gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) as a percentage of GDP. Published for survey years only (every second year); each point is labelled with the first year of the financial year surveyed, so 2023 is 2023-24.

Why it matters: Investment in R&D drives innovation and long-term productivity gains. Australia consistently invests below OECD peers.

Source & provenance

Publisher

ABS

Update frequency

biennial

Licence

CC BY 4.0

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How the score is computed

The score is a 0–100 normalisation of the latest observation, compared to a baseline window. The traffic-light rating (RAG) reflects both the absolute level and the recent trend.

Direction

Higher is better

Trend window

120 months

Baseline

Last 10 years

{
  "red_max_pct_of_baseline": 95,
  "amber_min_pct_of_baseline": 95,
  "green_min_pct_of_baseline": 102
}