Where AI takes shape
Compare model activity and the research base behind it. Explore selected major economies and regions with observed data, using one metric and one year at a time.
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No cross-year substitution. Grey means no observation for this year. EU is a regional aggregate and is excluded from the country ranking.
Leading countries · 2023
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Choose 2–5 countries or regions. Only the selected metric is compared.
Loading chart% of GDP · all R&D · Missing annual observations remain gaps.
Definition, sources and observed values
Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.
World Bank WDI / UNESCO Institute for Statistics · source update 2026-10-08 · CC BY 4.0
wdi-GB.XPD.RSDV.GD.ZS-v1 · export 2026-10-22
| Year | United States | China | European Union |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2.71 | 1.68 | 1.96 |
| 2011 | 2.74 | 1.75 | 2 |
| 2012 | 2.67 | 1.88 | 2.06 |
| 2013 | 2.7 | 1.96 | 2.08 |
| 2014 | 2.71 | 1.98 | 2.1 |
| 2015 | 2.77 | 2.02 | 2.1 |
| 2016 | 2.84 | 2.06 | 2.1 |
| 2017 | 2.88 | 2.08 | 2.14 |
| 2018 | 2.99 | 2.1 | 2.17 |
| 2019 | 3.14 | 2.2 | 2.21 |
| 2020 | 3.42 | 2.36 | 2.28 |
| 2021 | 3.47 | 2.38 | 2.24 |
| 2022 | 3.49 | 2.49 | 2.23 |
| 2023 | 3.45 | 2.58 | 2.26 |
| 2024 | — | — | — |
AI inside European businesses
Enterprise adoption by country, company size and survey year
Explore country profiles
European profiles also include Eurostat enterprise AI adoption where the survey has compatible coverage.
