Research and development expenditure

R&D expenditure supports the creation of new ideas and knowledge.

Expenditure on R&D by sector ($ million)

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Nominal R&D expenditure has grown in all sectors over the last 20 years. BERD = Business Expenditure on R&D, HERD = Higher Education Expenditure on R&D, PNPERD = Private Non-profit Expenditure on R&D. GovERD = Government (state + federal) expenditure on R&D. The SRI Budget Tables provide an alternative measure of government expenditure. See our SRI Budget Tables Insight for more details.  Source: ABS 2010c, 2019e, 2019f, 2023f, 2023g

This metric shows gross R&D spending by sector from 2001 to 2022, using nominal values. It indicates that the business sector has the highest nominal expenditure on R&D, followed by the higher education, government and private non-profit sectors. The data shows a consistent increase in nominal R&D expenditures across all sectors, with the business sector experiencing the most significant growth. Its spending has quadrupled from approximately $5,000 million in 2001 to over $20,00 million in 2022. The higher education sectors R&D spending also saw a substantial rise, from about $2,800 million to roughly $13,000 million. Meanwhile, the government and private non-profit sectors have witnessed modest increases in R&D expenditures during the same period. See the full chart value of the data.

Business R&D expenditure intensity, by industry

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Businesses provide most R&D expenditure in Australia. R&D expenditure as a proportion of gross value added in an industry indicates how much research is occurring as a proportion of overall economic activity in the industry. Note: This chart includes the top six industries in 2023. Source: ABS 2015b, 2017b, 2019e, 2021d, 2023a, 2023f

The chart shows the R&D expenditure intensity across 6 leading industries, measured as a percentage of Gross Value Added (GVA), from 2006 to 2022. It shows that the manufacturing sector has maintained a consistently stable lead in R&D expenditure intensity. However, the Professional, scientific, and technical services sector has seen a significant rise, eventually surpassing manufacturing around 2020. Over the last decade, the Professional, scientific, and technical services sector experienced the most substantial growth in R&D expenditure intensity, climbing from 3.05% in 2011 to 4.22% in 2022. Meanwhile, the R&D expenditure intensity for the Financial and insurance services, Information media and telecommunications, and Wholesale trade industries has remained stable at 1.9%, 1.5%, and 1.09%, respectively. R&D expenditure intensity also saw a modest increase in Other Service industry. See the full chart value of the data.

Expenditure on R&D by sector (% of GDP)

Full description follows.

While nominal R&D expenditure in all sectors has grown in recent times, GDP has grown faster. R&D expenditure as a proportion of GDP has thus declined. The majority of R&D expenditure in the Australian economy occurs in the business and higher education sectors. Source: ABS 2010c, 2019e, 2019f, 2023f, 2023g, 2024a

This metric shows gross R&D spending by sector as a proportion of GDP from 2001 to 2022. It indicates that the business sector has the largest share of R&D spending, followed by the higher education, government and private non-profit sectors. The business sector saw an increase in R&D investment as a proportion of GDP until 2009, but it fell from 1.37% to 0.88% in 2022. In contrast, the higher education sector experienced a slight rise from 0.39% to 0.56%, while the government sector saw a decrease in R&D expenditure over time. R&D spending as a proportion of GDP in the private non-profit sector has remained stable at around 0.05%. See the full chart value of the data.

Chart values

Current value per sector ($m)
Year BERD GOVERD HERD PNPERD
2001 4982.558 2355.797 2789.753 289.038
2003 6940.292 2482.161 3429.597 359.548
2005 8676.456 2486.026 4327.162 478.861
2007 12639.28 3095.431 5433.529 608.916
2009 17291 3420 6844 744
2011 18007 3833 8161 914
2012 18321 3549 8885 944
2014 18849 3752 9919 952
2016 16659 3959 9549 1011
2018 17438 3329 11235 1060
2020 18171 3384 12714 1333
2022 20642 3691 12968 1450

Share of GDP per sector (%)
Year BERD GOVERD HERD PNPERD
2001 0.7 0.33 0.39 0.04
2003 0.86 0.31 0.43 0.04
2005 0.94 0.27 0.47 0.05
2007 1.16 0.28 0.5 0.06
2009 1.37 0.27 0.54 0.06
2011 1.27 0.27 0.58 0.06
2012 1.22 0.24 0.59 0.06
2014 1.18 0.23 0.62 0.06
2016 1 0.24 0.58 0.06
2018 0.95 0.18 0.61 0.06
2020 0.92 0.17 0.64 0.07
2022 0.88 0.16 0.56 0.06

Industry R&D expenditure intensity as a percentage of Gross Value Added (GVA)
Year Financial and Insurance ICT Manufacturing Other Services Professional Wholesale trade
2005-06 1.29 1.34 3.77 0.21 3.28 1.49
2006-07 1.32 2.26 3.8 0.22 3.18 1.72
2007-08 1.62 2.16 4.03 0.27 3.29 1.63
2008-09 2.15 2.11 4.12 0.25 3.32 1.65
2009-10 2.58 1.16 4.09 0.25 3.05 1.37
2010-11 2.6 1.35 4.6 0.24 2.99 1.21
2011-12 2.7 1.65 4.23 0.22 2.86 1.14
2013-14 2.57 1.32 4.76 0.48 3.62 1.49
2015-16 2.43 2.43 2.43 2.43 2.43 2.43
2017-18 2.01 1.33 4.32 0.54 4.1 1.34
2019-20 1.84 1.13 4.27 0.99 4.37 1.13
2021-22 1.91 1.5 4.13 NA 4.22 1.09