Key Points
• In 2013, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development performed in the UK
(GERD), in current prices, increased by 7% to £28.9 billion compared with 2012. Adjusted for
inflation, in constant prices, research and development (R&D) expenditure increased by 5%.
• In constant prices, R&D expenditure has increased by 54% from the 1985 estimate of £18.8
billion. Expenditure has reached an all time high of £28.9 billion in 2013.
• The business sector performed 64% of UK R&D expenditure in 2013. Expenditure by this sector
increased by 8%, in current prices, to £18.4 billion in 2013, compared with 2012.
• Total R&D expenditure in the UK in 2013 represented 1.67% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
an increase from 1.62 % in 2012.
• International comparisons show that UK R&D expenditure in 2013 was below the European
Union (EU-28) provisional estimate of 2.02% of GDP, but the 12th highest of all member