Data / Rankings / R&D expenditure share of GDP / Autonomous communities of Spain

Autonomous communities of Spain by R&D expenditure share of GDP

Basque Country had the highest R&D expenditure share of GDP of 19 autonomous communities in 2021, at 2.32% of GDP. Ceuta had the lowest, at 0.21% of GDP. The median was 1.02% of GDP and the figure for Spain was 1.4% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest2.32Basque Country
Lowest0.21Ceuta
Median1.0219 autonomous communities
Spain1.4History

Map of autonomous communities, 2021

Andalusia: 1.06 % of GDPAragon: 1.02 % of GDPAsturias: 0.87 % of GDPBalearic Islands: 0.48 % of GDPCanary Islands: 0.56 % of GDPCantabria: 0.96 % of GDPCastile and León: 1.37 % of GDPCastilla-La Mancha: 0.8 % of GDPCatalonia: 1.78 % of GDPValencian Community: 1.2 % of GDPExtremadura: 0.74 % of GDPGalicia: 1.1 % of GDPCommunity of Madrid: 1.93 % of GDPRegion of Murcia: 1.09 % of GDPNavarre: 1.91 % of GDPBasque Country: 2.32 % of GDPLa Rioja: 0.75 % of GDPCeuta: 0.21 % of GDPMelilla: 0.35 % of GDP
  • Under 0.67
  • 0.67 to 0.89
  • 0.89 to 1.1
  • 1.1 to 1.5
  • 1.5 and over
% of GDP, 2021. Source: Eurostat, Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All autonomous communities, 2021

Basque Country: 2.32 % of GDPBasque Country2.32Community of Madrid: 1.93 % of GDPCommunity of Madrid1.93Navarre: 1.91 % of GDPNavarre1.91Catalonia: 1.78 % of GDPCatalonia1.78Castile and León: 1.37 % of GDPCastile and León1.37Valencian Community: 1.2 % of GDPValencian Community1.2Galicia: 1.1 % of GDPGalicia1.1Region of Murcia: 1.09 % of GDPRegion of Murcia1.09Andalusia: 1.06 % of GDPAndalusia1.06Aragon: 1.02 % of GDPAragon1.02Cantabria: 0.96 % of GDPCantabria0.96Asturias: 0.87 % of GDPAsturias0.87Castilla-La Mancha: 0.8 % of GDPCastilla-La Mancha0.8La Rioja: 0.75 % of GDPLa Rioja0.75Extremadura: 0.74 % of GDPExtremadura0.74Canary Islands: 0.56 % of GDPCanary Islands0.56Balearic Islands: 0.48 % of GDPBalearic Islands0.48Melilla: 0.35 % of GDPMelilla0.35Ceuta: 0.21 % of GDPCeuta0.21Basque Country: 2.32 % of GDPBasque Country2.32Community of Madrid: 1.93 % of GDPCommunity of Madrid1.93Navarre: 1.91 % of GDPNavarre1.91Catalonia: 1.78 % of GDPCatalonia1.78Castile and León: 1.37 % of GDPCastile and León1.37Valencian Community: 1.2 % of GDPValencian Community1.2Galicia: 1.1 % of GDPGalicia1.1Region of Murcia: 1.09 % of GDPRegion of Murcia1.09Andalusia: 1.06 % of GDPAndalusia1.06Aragon: 1.02 % of GDPAragon1.02Cantabria: 0.96 % of GDPCantabria0.96Asturias: 0.87 % of GDPAsturias0.87Castilla-La Mancha: 0.8 % of GDPCastilla-La Mancha0.8La Rioja: 0.75 % of GDPLa Rioja0.75Extremadura: 0.74 % of GDPExtremadura0.74Canary Islands: 0.56 % of GDPCanary Islands0.56Balearic Islands: 0.48 % of GDPBalearic Islands0.48Melilla: 0.35 % of GDPMelilla0.35Ceuta: 0.21 % of GDPCeuta0.21
% of GDP. Source: Eurostat, Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) by NUTS 2 region, all sectors, percentage of GDP (rd_e_gerdreg). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankAutonomous communities2021
% of GDP		Change on 2020
1Basque Country2.32+0.12 pts
2Community of Madrid1.93-0.02 pts
3Navarre1.91-0.02 pts
4Catalonia1.78+0.08 pts
5Castile and León1.37-0.01 pts
6Valencian Community1.2+0.02 pts
7Galicia1.1+0.01 pts
8Region of Murcia1.09-0.06 pts
9Andalusia1.06-0.03 pts
10Aragon1.02+0.06 pts
11Cantabria0.96+0.03 pts
12Asturias0.87-0.04 pts
13Castilla-La Mancha0.8+0.14 pts
14La Rioja0.75-0.04 pts
15Extremadura0.74+0.08 pts
16Canary Islands0.560 pts
17Balearic Islands0.48-0.05 pts
18Melilla0.35n/a
19Ceuta0.21n/a

Other periods

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 autonomous communities are compared on one definition. 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

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

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) (Autonomous communities of Spain 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), Autonomous communities of Spain 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/spain-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). Autonomous communities of Spain 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/spain-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), Autonomous communities of Spain 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/spain-regions?period=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_autonomous_communities_of_spain_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): Autonomous communities of Spain 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/spain-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): Autonomous communities of Spain 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/spain-regions?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rd-expenditure-gdp-share/spain-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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Questions

Which autonomous community has the highest R&D expenditure share of GDP?

Basque Country, with 2.32% of GDP in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which autonomous community has the lowest R&D expenditure share of GDP?

Ceuta, with 0.21% 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.

R&D expenditure share of GDP: other rankings

Autonomous communities of Spain: more rankings