Press Release 13/08/2014

THE BASQUE COUNTRY IN THE EU-28. 2014

R&D expenditure over GDP in the Basque Country has grown faster than the average for the EU-28 countries over the last 10 years

It has gone from accounting for 1.42% of GDP in 2003 to 2.12% in 2012

In 2012, R&D expenditure in relation to GDP in the Basque Country stood at above the average for the EU-28 countries. Specifically, it represented 2.12% of Basque GDP, compared to 2.07% of EU-28 GDP and 1.30% of Spanish GDP. The Basque Country grew three times faster than the EU-28 average and also almost tripled the average for Spain.

R&D Expenditure in the EU-28 (% of GDP)

Source: Eurostat and Eustat.

The data show that Basque R&D growth has been very positive in recent years. This is evidenced by the fact that spending on research and development went from 1.42% of GDP in the Basque Country in 2003, to 1.87% in 2008 and to 2.12% in 2012.

The average percentages for the EU-28 countries in the same years were 1.86%, 1.91% and 2.07%, respectively. For Spain, it went from 1.05% in 2003, to 1.35% in 2008 and to 1.30% in 2012.

Nevertheless, figures in 2012 in some of the EU-28 countries were greater than those in the Basque Country. Finland spent 3.55% of its GDP on R&D, Sweden 3.41%, Denmark and Germany 2.98%, Austria 2.84%, Slovenia 2.80% and France 2.29%, among others.

On the other hand, other countries recorded a lower expenditure on R&D activities compared to their GDP. These were Cyprus, with 0.46%, Romania, with 0.49%, Bulgaria, with 0.64%, and Latvia, with 0.66%.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute

C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz

Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62

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