Total R&D expenditure in Sweden increased by about SEK 6.7 billion or 3 percent between 2023-2024 in current prices. However, adjusted for inflation and expressed in fixed prices R&D expenditure are unchanged compared to 2023. The Business enterprise sector is the dominating actor in R&D in Sweden and accounted for 74 percent of total R&D expenditure in 2024. The sector saw the largest absolute increase at SEK 3.4 billion compared to 2023 in current prices. The other sectors also increased their R&D expenditures. When accounting for inflation, however, the development for both the Business enterprise sector and the Private non-profit sector turns negative, an effect of the high levels of inflation during 2023.

Sweden’s R&D intensity, measured as R&D expenditures share of GDP, is calculated at 3.6 percent in 2024, a decrease of 0.04 percentage points compared to 2023. The decrease is the result of a stronger growth in GDP than in R&D expenditure in 2024. While GDP increased by about 1 percent in fixed prices, R&D expenditure remained unchanged, resulting in a slightly lower R&D intensity.

More about research and development (R&D) during 2024 is presented in the report Research and Development in Sweden 2024 – Preliminary Statistics (available in Swedish only). The report also covers R&D personnel by sector and occupation.

Final statistics on R&D in Sweden 2024 will be published 2025-10-30.