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The United
States continues to lead the world in R&D with 36 percent of projected world R&D
performance in 2007, according to data from the OECD. U.S. industry, government
and other sectors spend more on R&D than the entire EU combined (25 percent).
China has increased its R&D performance dramatically in recent years and is now
the 3rd largest performer of R&D (down from 2nd place because of a recent recalculation
of purchasing power). Out of total world R&D performance of nearly $1 trillion
(adjusted for purchasing power), China, Japan, and South Korea combined now account
for 27 percent of world R&D, more than the 27 nations of the EU.
China
is now just narrowly #2 in the number of scientists and engineers engaged in research
activities, behind only the United States and nearly as many as the 27 nations
of the European Union combined. - August 6, 2008 
The Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) is composed of nearly all of the major
R&D performing nations in the world, and publishes R&D statistics collected
from its member nations. Comparisons among the largest R&D performing nations
are available from the National Science
Foundation's Division of Science Resources Statistics. Please refer to their
publications Science and Engineering Indicators and National Patterns
of R&D Resources. The first chart shows that the U.S. R&D/GDP ratio increased
during the 1990s but has leveled off this decade. The U.S. ratio compares favorably
with the other major industrialized nations, but China has the fastest-growing
R&D enterprise. The second chart shows that the U.S. is still the dominant
performer of R&D in the world. The U.S. continues to fund more R&D than all the
EU nations combined. In this decade, China has emerged to become the third largest
performer of R&D. -Chart. Total National
R&D as Percent of GDP, 1981-2006 (8/08)
-Table.
Total R&D as Percent of GDP, Selected Nations, 2006 (8/08) 
-Chart. Shares of Total World R&D, 2007 (8/08)
-Chart. Shares of World S&E Researchers, 2006 (8/08)
-Chart. Government R&D expenditures by country
and socioeconomic objective, 2007 (8/08)
-Chart.
R&D expenditures by country and funding source, 2006 (revised 8/08)
-Chart. R&D expenditures by country and performer, 2006
(revised 8/08)
- Table. Health and Environment
Government R&D by Nation, 2007 (8/08)
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