In 2020, the R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP stood at 1.6% in Hungary, according to data released by statistical agency Eurostat.
In 2020, Hungary spent EUR 2.196 billion on R&D.
In the same year, the Member States of the EU spent around EUR 311 billion on R&D. The R&D intensity, i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, stood at 2.3% in 2020, compared with 2.2% in 2019. However, this small increase is due to a decrease in GDP as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostat notes.
The highest R&D intensity was recorded in Belgium and Sweden (3.5% of GDP), followed by Austria (3.2%) and Germany (3.1%).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, six member states recorded a R&D intensity below 1% of GDP: Romania (0.5%), Malta and Latvia (both 0.7%), Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Slovakia (all 0.9%).