Technology · Southern Africa
South Africa R&D Spending (% of GDP)
Gross domestic expenditure on research and development as a share of GDP. Source: World Bank — World Development Indicators. Updated June 25, 2026.
Trend
History
| Period | R&D Spending (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.6% |
| 2019 | 0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7% |
| 2015 | 0.7% |
| 2014 | 0.7% |
| 2013 | 0.7% |
| 2012 | 0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.7% |
Get this via API
The series above is served by the /v1/data endpoint. With a free key you get JSON for every country and indicator on this site.
curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=rd_expenditure_pct_gdp" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"R&D Spending (% of GDP) across Africa
Rank all 54 ->| Country | R&D Spending (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 0.3% |
| Kenya | 0.8% |
| Egypt | 1% |
| Ghana | 0.4% |
| Ethiopia | 0.3% |
| Tanzania | 0.5% |
Frequently asked questions
What is South Africa's research and development spending as a share of GDP?
South Africa's research and development spending as a share of GDP is 0.6% as of 2022, according to World Bank — World Development Indicators.
What is the source for this figure?
The figure comes from World Bank — World Development Indicators and is republished by the Africa API with the retrieval date shown on this page.
How do I get South Africa R&D Spending (% of GDP) data via API?
Call GET /v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=rd_expenditure_pct_gdp with a free Africa API key to receive the full time series as JSON.
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