In 2024, spending on Research and Development (R&D) in Greece totaled 3.62 billion euros, an increase of 7.6% compared to 2023, according to final data from the National Center for Documentation and Digital Content (EKT), an agency of the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, which have been submitted to Eurostat.
Total R&D expenditure amounted to 3,621.36 million euros, compared to 3,365.11 million euros in 2023, marking an increase of 256.25 million euros.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The “R&D intensity”—that is, research and development expenditures as a percentage of GDP—rose to 1.53%, compared to a lower percentage in 2023. The increase in R&D spending was higher than the increase in GDP, which stood at 5.4%.
Based on R&D intensity, Greece ranks 13th among the 27 member states of the European Union.
At the same time, the number of personnel employed in R&D activities decreased. The total number of employees, in Full-Time Equivalents (FTE), stood at 69,124 in 2024, compared to 73,263 in 2023, marking a 5.7% decrease.
Research staff decreased to 50,892 FTE from 54,679 in 2023, a 6.9% decline.
Businesses account for 54.8% of expenditures
In 2024, the business sector incurred R&D expenditures totaling 1,985.65 million euros, an amount corresponding to 54.8% of the total.
This was followed by the higher education sector with 911.03 million euros, or 25.2% of the total, and the public sector with 706.52 million euros, or 19.5%. Expenditures by private nonprofit institutions totaled 18.16 million euros.
In the business sector, the industries contributing the most to R&D expenditures were Information and Communication, Mining and Quarrying, Financial and Insurance Activities, Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities, Wholesale and Retail Trade, and the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations.
R&D expenditures in the broader Information and Communication sector totaled 361.43 million euros.
Higher education leads in employment
Higher education accounts for the largest number of full-time positions in R&D activities, with 29,860 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, representing 43.2% of the total.
The business sector recorded 23,012 FTE positions, while the public sector recorded 15,898 FTE positions. Private nonprofit institutions recorded 354 FTE positions.
In higher education, expenditures were primarily allocated to basic research, totaling 525.94 million euros, and applied research, totaling 310.64 million euros.
The scientific fields with the highest expenditures were Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, and Social Sciences.
Businesses Are the Largest Source of Funding
Private businesses were the largest source of funding for R&D expenditures, contributing 1,682.79 million euros.
Government funding totaled 1,164.46 million euros. Of this amount, 762.87 million euros came from the regular budget, €248.72 million from NSRF programs and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and €152.87 million from the National Development Program and other government sources.
476.98 million euros came from competitive European Union programs.
Attica accounts for 54.7% of spending
The Attica Region accounts for the largest share of R&D activities, with expenditures of 1,982.39 million euros, corresponding to 54.7% of the total.
Attica also recorded 34,413 full-time equivalent (FTE) R&D personnel, or 49.8% of the total.
In terms of R&D intensity, Central Macedonia (2.22%), Attica at 1.72%, and Crete at 1.55%.
The data come from the National Statistical Service of Greece’s (EKT) statistical survey on research and development activities in the business sector, higher education, the public sector, and private nonprofit institutions.
Source: APE-MPE
