EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP
Stuttgart had the highest R&D expenditure share of GDP of 206 regions in 2021, at 6.81% of GDP. Sud-Est had the lowest, at 0.1% of GDP. The median was 1.33% of GDP and the figure for the European Union (27) was 2.24% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
Top 40 regions, 2021
Full ranking
Other periods
- 2023
- 2021
About this ranking
Gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development (GERD) by all sectors (businesses, government, higher education and private non-profit institutions) as a percentage of gross domestic product. Regions are measured against their own regional GDP.
Measured following the OECD Frascati Manual. The EU set a target of 3% of GDP. Eurostat estimates the EU total, and some national years are estimated or provisional.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the regions are compared on one definition. 31 regions with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg) (EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table
MLA 9
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg), EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 29 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg), EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_regions_nuts_2_2021,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Gross domestic expenditure on R\&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd\_e\_gerdreg): EU regions (NUTS 2) by R\&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Gross domestic expenditure on R\&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd\_e\_gerdreg). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd\_e\_gerdreg/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Eurostat, European Commission
TI - Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg): EU regions (NUTS 2) by R&D expenditure share of GDP, 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
PB - Eurostat, European Commission
DB - Invokely
UR - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/18
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/eu-regions?period=2021.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/rd_e_gerdreg/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER -
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Rank EU regions by R&D expenditure share of GDP using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"rd_expenditure_gdp_share","level":"region","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Which region has the highest R&D expenditure share of GDP?
Stuttgart, with 6.81% of GDP in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which region has the lowest R&D expenditure share of GDP?
Sud-Est, with 0.1% of GDP in 2021.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). Retrieved 2026-10-18. 31 regions have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.