HC Deb 09 December 1999 vol 340 c616W
Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of Britain's gross domestic product was devoted to research and development on the latest available figures; and what the equivalent figure was for other G7 countries. [100530]

Ms Hewitt

In 1997, the latest year for which figures are available, the UK's gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) was £14.6 billion. This represented 1.87 per cent. of GDP.

The table shows comparative G7 figures.

1997 GERD as a percentage of GDP
Country Percentage
Canada 1.60
France 2.23
Germany 2.31
Italy 1.08
Japan 2.89
UK 1.87
USA 2.71

Source:

OECD Online-Main Science and Technology Indicators, 3 August 1999