In the latest available international research and development (R&D) statistics Sweden is the fifth most R&D intensive country in the OECD area, measured as total intramural R&D expenditure as a share of GDP. This means that Sweden has gone from third to fifth place after being passed by the United States and Belgium. These two countries have had upward trends over the past ten years compared to Sweden's lower development rate. Since 2013, the US and Belgium have increased their R&D intensity from 2.7 and 2.33 percent respectively to 3.46 and 3.43 percent, while Sweden's R&D intensity has increased from 3.26 to 3.40 percent with mixed development between years.

Within the European Union, Sweden has long had the highest R&D intensity. Definitive statistics for the reference year 2021 and preliminary statistics for 2022 that are now available show that this is no longer the case. In the definitive numbers for 2021, Belgium overtakes Sweden in R&D intensity, albeit by a small margin, 3.43 versus 3.40 percent. However, these positions remain in the preliminary statistics for 2022, which means that Sweden for two years in a row loses the top position on the list of the most R&D intensive countries in Europe.

In the preliminary statistics for 2022, Sweden remains above the average in both the EU and the OECD. The EU average decreases since 2021 to 2.22% in 2022. Among our Nordic neighbours, Sweden is at the top and is the only country where R&D intensity does not decrease in 2022. In all countries compared, both R&D expenditure and GDP are increasing, but in most cases, GDP is growing faster than R&D expenditures, which has a negative impact on R&D intensity.

For more information on the Swedish development up to 2022, see Research and Development in Sweden 2022 (scb.se)